Game Over
by Yokomi
Summary: Another mission for sensei, and little Kakashi is again left alone. But, 'Don't go anywhere near that man, Kakashi' his sensei had ordered. God, how he wished he listened to his teacher more often... or at least that one time. Rated T for violence in some chapters. *Sequel to 'Hide and Seek'*
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: I really enjoyed writing 'Hide and Seek' and it seemed like people liked reading it, too, so I decided to write another story featuring Kakashi and Orochimaru during 'playtime'. This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I decided against it. Anyways, hope you enjoy.**

 **Just to note, this occurs after the events of 'Hide and Seek'. You don't have to read that to get this one, though.**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**

 **Chapter 1**

The six-year-old let out rapid, shallow breaths as he took in the much needed air. His heart was thumping loudly and much too quickly for what was normal. He took a moment to clear his head as he crouched behind a bush in an attempt to be at least partially hidden from his pursuer. He held his breath and tried to cover his chakra as much as possible when he felt that calm and collected chakra getting closer. He couldn't help the nervous twinge when he caught sight of the older shinobi. He gulped inaudibly as the snake-like eyes flashed to his temporary hiding place. The long tongue emerged from the Sannin's mouth and brushed his too white lips causing the little chuunin to shudder. The boy forced his lungs to stop their demands for the life-giving oxygen as he waited for the black-haired ninja to leave. He knew from experience that even the slightest sound which seemed out-of-place to the Snake would capture his attention immediately. And when that happened, he was pretty sure he'd be a goner. The Snake narrowed his eyes and observed his surroundings for what seemed like an eternity to the young shinobi, yet it only took him a few seconds, before pursing his lips and bouncing to the nearest tree. The silver-haired boy watched the man until his figure was out of sight before finally indulging his demanding lungs and taking in huge gasps to supply the desired oxygen. Once the light-headedness faded and he could think clearly again, only one thought crossed his mind.

 _What exactly had he gotten himself into?_

 _Earlier that day…_

"I still can't believe that _Orochimaru_ of all people actually played with a kid!" The white-haired man exclaimed loudly for the whole world to hear, "And 'Hide and Seek' no less!" The blond rubbed his temples as he exhaled loudly in frustration. It was the second day since the Toad Sage's return, yet there they were, already going back to the front lines.

"Why are you so angry anyways? I thought you wanted your student to play games," Jiraiya asked inclining his head slightly. The silver-haired Hatake nodded and hummed in affirmation.

"Don't get me wrong," Minato said, "I _do_ want Kakashi to play and have fun, it's what kids are supposed to do! But when I say play, I mean with other children… not with _him_ ," Jiraiya rolled his eyes as he let out his own exasperated sigh.

"It was good for both of them. Kakashi got to play with somebody, and Orochimaru got to interact with someone," The Sannin protested in a quieter tone.

"It was _dangerous_!" Minato disapproved, flailing his hands wildly in the air. The white-haired man could do nothing but shake his head and curse his former student's melodramatic tendencies. If anything, he was thrilled that his ex-teammate was able to get out of his cold shell and actually do something, that didn't involve training, killing or sparring, with other people. Maybe interacting with children like Kakashi was the exact thing that his friend needed. Silence ensued upon them as they made it to the village's gates. It was time to leave the village and the problems inside it to get rid of the troubles outside its borders. Jiraiya kept on walking while Minato stopped to bid his student farewell for the time being.

"You remember what I told you about a week ago, right?" Minato nodded after Kakashi confirmed his assumption, "Well, it seems like you forgot what I told you right after that training session that Orochimaru watched, so I'll repeat," he gave his student a pointed look, "Make sure you don't go anywhere near Orochimaru. Promise me, Kakashi,"

"I promise," Kakashi didn't even hesitate, not when sensei was using _that_ tone of voice.

"Good," Minato attempted a smile, but it seemed a tad bit too forced. His hand shot out to ruffle the child's hair, but it was pushed away before it got even close. He chuckled and this time, it didn't seem as strained, "See you when I return!"

After his sensei's departure, the chuunin didn't know what to do. He was supposed to be training with Minato-sensei today, but the Hokage sent for him and produced a front-line mission out of nowhere. Kakashi wasn't a moron; he knew his sensei was that important. He also knew that without Konoha's Yellow Flash, the Village Hidden in the Rock would have won long ago. It was still fairly early in the morning, so he made his way to one of his most frequented training grounds to practice his katas. Just because his sensei wasn't there didn't mean that he didn't have any training to do.

From afar, his movements were nothing but a fluid, harmonious dance. Each punch or kick was followed by others, not once letting up the deadly, graceful dance. However, the beautiful display was not lacking in strength if the sounds emitted from the hit making contact with nothing but air were anything to go by. The boy continued his practice, changing katas and formations every now and then, until sweat glistened and flowed freely from his forehead. He used a previously packed towel to dry the liquid off of his person. He drank a full bottle of water and proceeded to start with the next when the sound of clapping reached his ears.

"Excellent work, Kakashi-kun," Orochimaru complimented whilst walking towards the six-year-old. Kakashi thanked the Sannin politely. _I'm not breaking my promise,_ he thought, _I didn't go anywhere near Orochimaru… he came by his own accord._ He nodded to himself, convinced.

"Did you need anything Orochimaru-sama?" he questioned respectfully.

"Well… now that you mention it," Orochimaru paused, "That last game we played was entertaining… I would love to play another game, if that's alright with you, of course,"

"Another game?" he repeated dumbly. Would sensei approve? Of course not. Should he risk his sensei's wrath? He'd rather not, to be honest.

"Yes. It'll be even more amusing and a whole lot more enlightening than the last one," Orochimaru continued, "By the time we're done with this little game, your skills would have improved greatly," the man tried to convince the younger boy with the idea of training. It worked before, there's no law saying that it won't work now. However, the brat still looked uncertain. Jiraiya's pupil definitely reprimanded him for accepting his game proposal last time.

"It won't take that long," he promised, "Just until the sun comes down and its noon now," he added. Kakashi shifted his weight from foot to foot, a nervous habit he has got to yet outgrow. Orochimaru seemed dogged to get him to play this new game. He knew for a fact that if he agreed to partake in this game, his sensei would be disappointed and constantly looking wholly betrayed and not a little angry. On the other hand, Orochimaru was also determined to force him into the game, so he realized that if he didn't agree, the Sannin would find some way to make him; plus, if no such ways were found, he'd have an irritated legendary ninja on his hands. All in all, this was a lose-lose situation for the kid. It's time to choose the lesser evil.

"What kind of game is it?" he prodded carefully, controlling his voice so that he didn't sound too interested or too indifferent.

"It is similar to the game we played last time, but with a twist," Orochimaru paused, smiling that abnormal grin of his, "Last time, you were the one hiding and I was searching. This time, however, you will be looking for seven objects that are already hidden somewhere here,"

"Sounds simple enough," Kakashi muttered.

"Oh, but that's not all," Orochimaru chuckled as he shook his head, "You will be looking for these items while also evading me," Kakashi wondered if it was too late to refuse.

"Wouldn't that be unfair? You're the one who knows where the objects are, so you can easily wait for me at their places and attack," he remarked.

"That would be true if it was really me who hid them," Orochimaru said, "I never said it was me," he continued, "If you so wish to know, it was Jiraiya who did," Kakashi thought for a moment. Jiraiya did seem glad when he learned about their game, it would be normal if he decided to aid Orochimaru in starting another game. Therefore, Kakashi chose to trust the other man's words, at least for the time being. Only once the game started would he know if that was the truth.

"Well, what are these items?" Kakashi asked.

"If I told you, it would be too easy," Orochimaru said.

"I have approximately six hours to find seven unknown objects while also avoiding one of the Legendary Three," Kakashi stared at the older nin, disbelief coloring his usually stoic face of a mask, "How is that fair?"

"I never mentioned anything about the game being fair," Orochimaru noted, "You already agreed to play, so you can't back out now," Kakashi wondered when he said he would play. He realized he was right when he thought the Snake was a little too determined to get him to play. Was this really just a test of skill?

"Well, I think it's okay if I tell you what these objects are," The pale-skinned ninja asked, lips again taking the form of his usual twisted smile, "You'll be searching for bandannas, each a different color. The colors are red, green, yellow, blue, white, black and purple. Every one of them has a symbol of a snake printed on it. If you find one, finding the others will be easy," Kakashi nodded, storing this new, vital piece of information, "Now that that's settled, I'll give you ten minutes before I join in the game starting now," The silver-haired boy didn't need to be told twice; he quickly leapt out of sight.

 **Author's Notes: And that's the end of Chapter 1! I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far and continue reading it as updates come. Thanks for reading!**

 **I will now answer the reviews of 'Hide and Seek':**

 **Prescripto13** **: Yup, Kakashi is one dogged shinobi, even during childhood! I'm glad you liked it!**

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge** **: Thanks! Well… maybe he'll lose this time… who knows?**

 **The Shifting** **: Here's a new one featuring dear old Orochi and lil'Kashi, hope you like!**

 **You-Know-Who** **: Arigatou ;)**

 **Lightingsnake** **: I'm really flattered! Thanks a bunch :D**

 **fluffpenguin** **: I hope you find this one enjoyable as well!**

 **kakashifan7** **: I'm a Kakashi fan myself! Thanks and this is a kind-of but-not-quite sequel, so your wish came true! ;)**

 **Till next time! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: I actually had this chapter half-written for a long time now. Sorry if the game seems fast-paced, but unlike 'Hide and Seek', the game isn't the main idea of the story. The real story hasn't even begun yet. However, it will next chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**

 **Chapter 2**

He kept on a beeline towards the far end of the huge training place, silently cursing himself for choosing the biggest one in Konoha. He told himself that if push came to shove, and Minato-sensei's suspicions proved to be true, he could always bolt out of the training grounds. He mentally pictured the map of this area. Trees were all over the place, tall and strong. Clear water made up a sparkling lake at the center of the area. The gate was in the opposite direction he was going in now. At the left end of the training grounds, a couple of flowers that could pass as a small garden grew, although Kakashi didn't know how these flowers survived what with ninjas always coming to train, causing damage to the terrain around them.

Kakashi focused on getting more space away from his adversary. After all, the more distance he could get between himself and his opponent, the better. He was cautious as he tried not to leave any trail behind. He also kept an eye on his surroundings just in case one of these bandannas was around. Once he reached the end of the area, a flash of yellow caught his attention. He quickly approached the brightly colored cloth and his heart almost burst in glee. Not even ten minutes into the game and he had already found one of the items He didn't know why he was so worried. Jiraiya really didn't know how to hide anything, and with that realization, he could breathe a little easier. Just as he was about to tuck the cloth in his pouch, he sighted another yellow colored bandanna a few miles away. Confused, he got closer to the fabric and picked it up. Didn't Orochimaru say that each bandanna had a different color? His eyes widened when it finally dawned on him.

"Release!" With that simple word, both bandannas disappeared. He didn't know Jiraiya was good at making genjutsu traps. His hopes sank; there was no way he could find seven items if he can't even find one. He turned around to leave and almost cried out in joy when he found a yellow bandanna tied on a branch. He pumped chakra through his system, but when the fabric remained, he all but ran towards the tree. Then, he carefully untied his prize to find the snake symbol he was told about staring up at him. He smiled beneath his mask and tucked the bandanna in his pouch. He was sure the ten minutes were already over by now. Thus, he treaded warily towards the treetops and picked a random direction whilst trying to sense the Sannin's chakra. He found nothing. It seemed that Orochimaru was keeping a tight hold on his chakra. He also hid his chakra as much as he could, but he was pretty sure the other ninja could still sense him. A few minutes later, he stopped. There was no way he could find the other six bandannas in this large area.

He brought the yellow one from his pouch and studied it as if staring at the snake long enough would give him a hint. He turned the cloth around so that he no longer saw the snake, but there was nothing there. _If you find one, finding the others will be easy._ He wondered what Orochimaru meant by that. He let out a breath as he tried to rub the cloth between his fingers. He put his mask down and tried to blow at it. He poured a bit of water on it from his canteen. Still, nothing happened. He pursed his lips as he thought; _Jiraiya is a master at seals. Seals need chakra to activate!_ Once he applied a bit of his chakra into the bandanna, weird symbols lit up on it before quickly disappearing to be replaced by letters instead.

 _Come find me where you drink._

There is a small lake in this area. However, it was out there in the open. He didn't want to risk capture, but he knew he'd have to go there to get the next item sooner or later. Kakashi, then, trudged on towards the center of the training grounds with apprehension and unease growing that they shook his very core. Once he reached the end of the tree-infested region, the feeling of dread had already multiplied tenfold that he was half-expecting his adversary to pop up any second. _Go to the lake, find it quickly, and come back. Go to the lake, find it quickly, and come back,_ he repeated over and over. He scanned his surroundings, moistened his suddenly dry lips before bolting out into the open air. When seconds passed and nothing occurred, the silver-haired boy allowed a short sigh of relief. He made it to the pond. He scratched the back of his head. Couldn't the hint be any clearer? He didn't have enough time to search all the water. Nevertheless, he shoved that thought aside and started searching the edges. Then, he pulled up his pant legs to knee-length and attempted searching the lake from the inside. Still, he didn't find what he was looking for.

He returned to the edge of the pond. From the sun's position, he could tell that it was about one now. Kakashi bit his bottom lip. One hour for one item and a really vague hint. He sat on the ground with a heavy thump and tried to think of his next course of action. He tried to focus in order to make sure that his opponent wasn't close. He was surprised to note that he could sense the adult's chakra, yet he couldn't help the slight twinge of comfort that rolled up his spine when he realized that the Sannin was farther away than he thought he would be. His brows scrunched up in confusion when he heard the distinctive croaks of a frog. He didn't remember that this lake had any frogs, yet there it was, right in front of him sitting comfortably on a lily pad. _Wait a second…_ He hastily jumped to his feet and approached the frog. When the frog didn't bound away, he was sure that he knew where the next bandanna was.

"Took you long enough," the small frog said, "I thought I would have to croak forever for you to notice me!" Kakashi chuckled nervously.

"So where is the bandanna?" he asked.

"Ahh, sorry kid… I ate it," the green creature said apologetically. Kakashi blinked incredulously at the frog, "Don't look at me like that! Jiraiya told me to!" At least, _now_ , Kakashi was a hundred percent sure that the Toad Sage was really the one who hid the items, and that Orochimaru was actually telling the truth.

"Is there no way to get it out?" Kakashi questioned.

"Well, wait a second," With that said, the frog started making disgusting gagging noises. With every attempt at a retch, more saliva drooled down from its open mouth and onto the pad. Kakashi shuddered with every sickening sound and even more when he saw the saliva dribbling onto the pad then into the water he was standing in. He looked away and tried to stop the sounds from reaching his ears, reciting all the shinobi rules and chakra theories over and over. After what seemed like an eternity, the frog let out one final wretch.

"Finally!" it exclaimed, wiping its mouth, "Here ya go, kid!" it said, handing Kakashi something that resembled the yellow bandanna he had found earlier, but the boy could not identify the color for the life of him. Kakashi accepted the gift, making sure to hold it with his pointer finger and thumb and at arm's length. He knelt into the saliva-infested water and proceeded to wash the many liquids off of the cloth. After a few minutes, the bandanna was somewhat clean to the degree that he could finally tell that it was green.

"My job here is done," the frog said before white smoke took its place. Kakashi silently thanked the frog before checking the bandanna for the snake figure. After he made sure that this was the right item, he applied some of his chakra to it again. Identical marks to the ones before appeared on the blue cloth.

 _In a world filled with green with spots of pinks and yellows, two you shall find._

Kakashi pondered about it for a while. Where, in this training field, could he find the colors pink and yellow? He racked his mind for a possible answer. With a sigh, he chose to leave the open area. He had stayed there far more time than what was wise. He would think about the newest hint while he was moving.

-oOo-

Orochimaru shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. For the past hour and a half, he hadn't even _tried_ to follow the six-year-old. Instead, he chose to find one of the bandannas and the Hatake was bound to come sooner or later to get it. However, if he didn't occasionally go and engage the kid, the genius would certainly become suspicious. Thus, he swiftly went through the hand signs necessary and almost immediately, two clones appeared. He made himself comfortable on one of the tree branches. If everything was going according to plan, he wouldn't have anything to worry about. He smiled. Yes, his plans were flowing just the way he planned they would.

* * *

Kakashi kicked himself mentally. The answer was so obvious. Only one place had anything pink or yellow in this whole training field. The lone grassy region that contained a few flowers that stubbornly grew despite the chaos the ninjas brought with them during their training time. He changed course, checking the area every now and then to make sure that he wasn't being trailed. He frowned when he sensed Orochimaru's chakra. It was still in the same place it was before. Strange. _He might have found a bandanna and is waiting for me there,_ his mind helpfully supplied. Well, if that was the way Orochimaru wanted to play this game, then, he would respond in kind. He stopped and his hands flew through the signs for a lightning clone. It took a good amount of chakra, but he wasn't too worried. After all, he did have some chakra pills this time. He leaned against the tree he stopped at before grabbing a kunai from his weapon pouch and cutting his thumb. A few hand signs later had Pakuun warping in.

"Yo," the pug greeted, his wrinkled face blinking up at his short boss, "What do you need me to track?"

"Actually, your nose isn't why I summoned you this time," As strong as the pug's sense of smell was, it wouldn't do them any good here, where all ninjas' scents mixed. Besides, considering that Jiraiya helped Orochimaru with this a day or so ago, no scent would have been left by the rain. Thus, Kakashi quickly explained the situation to his favorite summon, "That's why I need you to go with the lightning clone. Once you're there, search for a bandanna like this one," he showed the pug the yellow cloth, "But it has a different color,"

"You do realize I'm colorblind, right?" Pakuun remarked.

"It should be there, just get a bandanna that has this snake on it, okay? When you find it, meet me at the flower batch," Kakashi ordered, annoyance creeping into his voice. The dog snorted before following the clone towards the Sannin's location.

"And stay out of sight!" Kakashi called after them to which the pug responded with another loud grunt. The silver-haired chuunin took a chakra pill. _I can take_ _two more pills,_ he kept note. After that, he continued his path towards the grassy region. He finally made it to the place without any other incidents. Kakashi looked around. The area was not that big, just about the size of a small backyard. He could probably cover it in less than an hour, if he put his mind to it. With that thought in mind, he started searching.

* * *

The lightning clone and Pakuun carefully pushed on towards the Sannin. Since the real Kakashi was moving away from him, he didn't have to keep hiding his presence. However, they were going straight for the Snake. Pakuun deviated away from the lightning clone once they were close enough and started his mission. The lightning clone headed towards the comfortable-looking legendary ninja and launched a fiery of shuriken. Expectedly, Orochimaru evaded the attack. The clone wasn't too concerned about that nor was he worried about the huge gap in power between them. His sole purpose was to buy time for Pakuun to find the cloth. And if he died in the process… well, he didn't really exist in the first place. He avoided a blow to the head which would have surely destroyed him. He cleared his mind and focused. He should be able to last at least fifteen minutes against the more experienced shinobi. He flung backwards and launched another spray of both shuriken and kunai. Orochimaru leapt out of the attack's range and responded with flinging weapons of his own. The fake ducked behind a tree and waited. It was way too silent. He watched his surroundings, trying to decipher any movement within the bushes. He could see nothing. After a while, the Snake appeared on the opposite side of the tree. The clone made sure not to make any sound. He focused on making his breaths noiseless. The pain didn't fully register in his mind until he saw the hand jutting out of his chest. Lightning cackled dangerously before engulfing his attacker. Orochimaru clicked his tongue in disappointment as he watched both his and Kakashi's clones disappear in respective puffs of smoke. The Sannin didn't expect the boy to send a clone to try to take the bandanna he was guarding. He should have known that such a move was reckless. Well, no harm was done anyways, so he returned to the nest he first found the bandanna in. He blinked a couple of times before his brain finally accepted what he was seeing. The white bandanna was gone.

* * *

When the clone engaged the Sannin head on, the pug made use of the little time it provided him with and started searching the treetops for any sign of the item his master was looking for. Kakashi didn't say where the bandanna would be, so he considered looking in the treetops partially because the Sannin was sitting on top of a branch and partially because he was too lazy to go down _and then_ go back up. He made quick work of the treetops and paused when he saw a nest sitting innocently on one of the branches. He leaped towards it and was ever so happy when he found what he was looking for. Apparently, luck was on his side today. He grabbed the cloth with the snake symbol using his mouth and raced to the flower batch.

* * *

This was _not_ Kakashi's day. He had searched this area through and through but he found no bandanna. He didn't find anything except flowers, dirt, grass and even _more_ dirt. He hoped his dog and clone were doing better than him. He sighed in frustration when he finished his first round searching thoroughly around the batch. He did not know where Jiraiya might have put the thing. And unless the Lord of Mount Myoboku found some way to put the bandanna inside a rock… _No, no… keep looking…_ After the third time of searching the area to no avail, Kakashi settled for looking underneath the underneath. However, he did not know what underneath he was trying to look under.

He let out another breath when the memories of the short fight filled his mind. The clone couldn't stand against the Sannin for more than ten minutes. But then again, he couldn't either a few days back. Despite the fact that Orochimaru had only returned from his own frontline mission the day before, the kid couldn't last that long against him. He huffed angrily and continued his quest. Ten minutes later, a brown blur suddenly appeared beside him. A white saliva-covered bandanna was spit out on the ground before the pug sat and scratched behind his ear.

"Yo," he said raising a paw to wave.

"Great, you found it!" Kakashi shook the liquid out of the cloth. He utilized a bit of his chakra and directed it at the bandanna.

 _Right outside the door._

"That one's easy," Kakashi commented. Not believing that he could get such a straightforward hint.

"Well, any luck here?" Pakuun prodded, poking a nearby rock with his paw. Kakashi shook his head, "I'll help you look here and then we'll go get that one," Pakuun said with finality.

"Good luck with finding anything here," Kakashi said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"What did the hint say?" Pakuun asked.

"In a world filled with green with spots of pinks and yellows, two you shall find," the boy answered, eyes flashing from place to place around the grassy area.

"I would help you, but I see no pink, green nor yellow,"Pakuun said, "I would try to put these three colors together if I were you,"

"Well, it won't hurt to try," the boy said as he picked a yellow flower and a pink orchid. He placed the two beside one another on the grass. Nothing happened… but really, the silver-haired child didn't really expect anything to occur.

"Try to do whatever you did to the cloth," Pakuun suggested while lying down. Kakashi applied a bit of his chakra on the three objects. Nothing happened for a moment. Nevertheless, after a couple seconds, a bright light engulfed the field that Kakashi and Pakuun had to shut their eyes to avoid getting blinded. When they thought it was safe to reopen them, two bandannas had replaced the three previous items. Kakashi ignored his summon's smug look. He made an inventory of the bandannas he had found thus far. He had a yellow one, green, white and the newly added purple and blue ones. The only remaining ones he needed are the black and red ones. He applied chakra to the purple and blue bandannas at the same time.

 _Dig under the,_ the blue one said.

 _Biggest rock in this very field,_ the purple one continued.

"Well, let's find the hugest rock here," Kakashi said.

"Oh, my, Kakashi-kun, I see you've found a lot of bandannas," That all too-familiar voice sounded. Kakashi motioned for Pakuun to find the rock and start digging. The pug quickly obliged, eager to get away from those cruel snake-like eyes.

"How many more do you need?" Orochimaru asked.

"Just two," Kakashi answered. There was no use concealing that insignificant piece of data anyways.

"Well, I would love to sit and chat, but I have things to do," Kakashi couldn't even get a word in before the clone disappeared leaving white smoke in its wake. _Huh?_ Kakashi shook his questions aside and went up to his summon.

"Any luck?" he asked the dirt covered dog. Instead of answering, Pakuun spit out a red piece of cloth. Kakashi ignored the saliva covering it and applied some of his chakra on to it.

 _Come find me where you drink._

"I got that one before," Kakashi wondered out loud, "Maybe it all depends on the order I find them in,"

"Are we going or not?" the pug questioned as he trotted to the gate. Kakashi hastily followed after him. It was almost over. So why did he feel that this was just starting?

* * *

Orochimaru pursed his lips when the memories of his clone reached him. He didn't like what he learned. Kakashi still had to find two bandannas. There was still a bit over an hour until sunset. His perfect plan has been foiled. With a huff, he released his other clone. It was time to initiate plan B.

 **Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review; I would love to know how you felt about the game even though it was a somewhat short and easy game. Thanks!**

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 1:**

 **Prescripto13:** Thanks for reviewing on almost every one of my Naruto fics! I hope you enjoyed this update!

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge:** Hmm… I wonder… What would you like to see? I hope so as well! Sadly, I cannot tell you whether Orochimaru can do anything to Kakashi or not… Sorry ;)

 **Fireball Massacre:** Thank you!

 **rashene:** Here's the next chapter! I'm not really happy with how fast-paced the game was… but I promise the next chapter will be a lot better! I just didn't see the point of prolonging the game when it wasn't the main idea of the whole story…

 **Likefireneedsair:** You have no idea how glad I am that people find 'Hide and Seek' and 'Game Over' interesting and enjoyable! I hope that you won't be disappointed as this story progresses! Indeed, Minato will not be too please when he discovers that little tidbit, huh? But really Jiraiya was only trying to help his ex-teammate.

Please review, favorite and follow this fic! Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: First of all, thank you all for the wonderful reviews you left! It really means a lot to an author to get positive feedback on his stories! Now, I know I said that the real story starts this chapter, and it does, honest! But it's still in its early stages and lacks that much action… Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**

 **Chapter 3**

Orochimaru smirked as his hands slid into the final seal as he stood at the center of the field, a piece of paper stuck on the ground in front of him. Almost immediately, various signatures appeared on the small slip causing barely noticeable tremors to pass through the ground. The Sannin watched the training grounds get engulfed with a pale blue before it quickly became transparent. He nodded to himself. Jiraiya had helped him with that seal. He didn't know what the fool thought he was accomplishing by helping him with the game and the seal, but he wasn't about to question it as long as he got what he wanted in the end.

Shoving all thoughts about his teammate and his weird antics away from his mind, Orochimaru headed to where the Hatake would no doubt be. The silver-haired toddler will get quite a shock when he discovers that he won't be able to get out of the field. In fact, with the seal now in place, no one will be able to get in or out until Orochimaru disengages the seal's effect.

He smiled with an evident spring in his step. This time, he would win for sure.

-oOo-

Kakashi released a sigh of relief when the gates came into view. He slowed his pace and his summon did the same. It was time to end this game. He smiled underneath the mask as he passed the exit… only to be pushed back with an unseen force, toppling to the ground. His eyebrows pulled together as he studied the spectacle before him. Of course, he should have guessed that nothing would be that easy in this twisted game. Especially after his weird encounter with the Snake. Was it possible that the Sannin had done something during the time it took him to get here? Really, to Kakashi's young mind, the idea seemed highly probable. The question was how to counter it.

Determination steeled his face. He was not going to lose now! Not when he was only one lousy bandanna away from winning! His hands flew through the signs needed and not a second later, a huge fireball was sent spiraling to collide with the invisible wall. He watched in fascination as the wall absorbed his jutsu, and just like that the once magnificent fireball was gone.

"I'll see if there are any other exits nearby," his trusty companion said before trotting off. Kakashi hummed as he directed chakra to the soles of his feet and attempted to walk up the gates to the other side. Once he reached the top, he tried to walk down the same way he went up, but he was forcefully pushed back again. He winced as he landed in a crouched position with quite a bit of pain coursing through his feet.

"Having trouble, Kakashi-kun?" The cold voice caused shivers to run up and down his spine, shivers he so desperately tried to suppress. He couldn't, after all, let his emotions show in front of the enemy. He glared at the pale man which caused the ninja to chuckle slightly.

"You won't be able to get past my jutsu, so save us both a lot of time and give up already," Orochimaru stated, "You don't have that much time on your hands, though," he continued, "By the time you figure it out, I would have won already," Kakashi was positive the Snake was trying to discourage him purposefully, but he was not about to give in.

"How about we make this game a bit more interesting?" Orochimaru said after a while, "If you can beat me in a fight, I will release my jutsu and you will be able to get the last bandanna to win,"

"What if you win?" Kakashi asked, heart thumping loudly. He was sure that Orochimaru heard it, too, because not a second later, a smirk appeared on the pale snake-like face.

"Deal?" Orochimaru ignored the kid's question and didn't wait for an answer before he attacked.

-oOo-

The brown pug was not that far away when he heard commotion coming from behind him. Specifically the location he left the kid at. Sensing a battle taking place, Pakuun hurried back. He held back a whimper as he watched the Sannin give a particularly nasty punch to the small boy's jaw. His refined dog ears could hear a few bones crack when the bigger man directed a strong kick to his master's ribs. He got ready to fight the pale, pale ninja.

Kakashi sat on his knees, hands on the ground while panting loudly and coughing out a mouthful of blood. He didn't know what had gotten into Orochimaru when the fight started, but it was clear that he wasn't going to hold back. His eyes caught a spot of brown between the green splotches and he shook his head at the pug slightly, silently asking him to stay hidden. He took a sharp intake of breath when he felt a hand around his ankle. He kicked the hand away and got a bit of distance between himself and his adversary, standing on wobbly legs. Orochimaru was right in front of the exit and from his position; Kakashi could see the last bandanna tied on the tree right outside the training grounds. He grit his teeth. His victory was so close yet so far away.

He closed his hands tightly into fists, partly to stop their shaking and partly to get ready to defend himself. He widened the distance between his legs and looked defiantly at his opponent. Or where his opponent was a few seconds ago. Orochimaru was not standing idly when the boy got distracted by the sight of the bandanna just past the gate. The black-haired man took advantage of the millisecond the distraction provided him with and he acted.

Kakashi watched his surroundings for a few moments but could not find the Sannin. He didn't let his guard down, however. Orochimaru smirked slightly from his hideout between the trees. At least the kid knew that he could never let his guard down around the enemy. But just how would that benefit a kid Chunin against an experienced Sannin?

The silver-haired boy barely had time to register pain at the back of his neck before his world turned to black; dimly he realized that he was now in the hands of his opponent.

It was game over.

-oOo-

Pakuun held back a snarl when the smug man held the boy, eying him like one would a prize. He suppressed a growl when the ninja made a few hand seals and made his way to the exit, unconscious Kakashi thrown over his shoulders like a sack of potato. The real challenge, though, was ignoring his instincts and letting the Sannin leave the training grounds with his master and friend. He clenched his teeth and told himself over and over that he was following orders. He sat there long after the Sannin had long disappeared with the bloodied boy, wondering what he should do.

Kakashi must have seen that, with or without Pakuun's help, there was no way he could win against the older, much more experienced shinobi… even if said shinobi was injured. The Hatake must have thought that Pakuun would tell someone about Orochimaru and his game. However, the dog didn't know _who_ he should tell. With the kid's sensei and Jiraiya out of town, Pakuun didn't know who he should turn to. Who should he tell about a kidnapping?

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop. Orochimaru didn't _kidnap_ Kakashi. He was definitely just taking him to the hospital, and Pakuun was just jumping to conclusions. Probably… Maybe? He shook his head. He sniffed at the ground, trying to find Orochimaru's scent. His face scrunched up when he found the scent and he started following the Sannin's trail. He took note that the trail took him through the more secluded paths in the village. It was evident that Orochimaru took a lot of care to make sure he avoided everyone. Pakuun quickened his pace. His friend was in danger; there was no longer any doubt in his mind about that. He followed the scent of the Snake as it exited the village. Just where was Orochimaru taking Kakashi? His steps slowed down as a thought crossed his mind. What can he do? Even if he found where the Sannin was keeping his master, what would he accomplish? He had to get someone to help. He sighed loudly and turned back to the village. It was a bad time for the bubbly blond and the outgoing Sage to be out on a mission.

With another sigh and a whimper, Pakuun headed back to his master's apartment, waiting for the sensei's return.

-oOo-

It had been three days since his departure, and Minato thought his legs could give in under his weight any second now. The mission was particularly grueling, but then again, all front line missions were like that. He glanced at the team trailing behind him. Not a minute after the new squad had reached the warzone, Minato told them about their situation. He didn't wait any longer before heading towards the village, the tired soldiers of the Leaf, including his sensei, quickly following him.

His grin was as big and cheery as the sun once the Village Gates came into view, despite the rain pouring down on them. He left his teacher the job of informing the Hokage about their arrival and went straight home, seeking shelter from the downpour.

"I'm back!" he said, exhausted voice carrying a tinge of relief at being finally home. He took off his wet flak jacket, "Kakashi?" he called when the kid didn't come to greet him, expression aloof, like he usually did, "Kakashi?" he called again, louder, just in case the boy was asleep and simply didn't hear him. With each ticking moment without a response, dread grew in Minato's stomach.

It was fairly late and raining, Kakashi wasn't supposed to be out training. He slowly approached the slightly ajar door leading to his student's room, not sure what he was feeling. Just before he reached the door, a small pug exited looking up at him with a solemn, wrinkled face.

"Pakuun," he recognized almost immediately, "Um… where's Kakashi?" he questioned as he glanced inside the room, confirming that the boy he was in charge of was, indeed, not in there. He watched the dog sigh and scratch his nose, all the while conscious of the growing pit in his stomach.

"You might want to sit down," Pakuun stated gruffly before heading towards the living room with a perplexed Minato following closely. He ignored the discomfort caused by his clinging clothes and listened to the wrinkled pug.

-oOo-

Kakashi's eyelids fluttered open slowly. He discovered that whether his eyes were open or closed didn't really matter as he found himself in pitch, black darkness. He tried to move his arm to rub his head, but the sound of clinking chains told him all he needed to know. His arms were tied to his sides, away from each other so that he couldn't cast any jutsu, he mused. His legs were secured against the metal slab he was on and he could barely breathe. He wasn't sure, but he could feel bandages tied around his torso and his head. He wondered what happened that got him in such a state. He tested the chains and jiggled them lightly. Maybe, he could find a way out of here. He heard a door open and his attempts abruptly stopped. Light filtered through just enough so he could see a certain black-haired Sannin. And then it all crashed back to him like a lightning bolt coursing through his body.

 _Orochimaru had won the game._

The door closed and Kakashi was left in darkness again with the cold presence close to him. His heart sunk to his knees, taking his hopes of escape with it.

 _There was no running away from a monster._

The Snake flicked on the too bright lights, pale face adorning a sick grin. Kakashi blinked a few times in rapid succession, vaguely aware that his breaths were coming in more like pants. He struggled to get his breathing under control as he watched the monster turn his back on him.

 _He had lost the game._

The Sannin didn't turn around as he asked, "Are you ready to play, Kakashi-kun?"

 _And now he had to pay the price._

-oOo-

Minato was sure that his heart couldn't plummet any lower. With every word Pakuun said, he could feel despair coursing through him. He just knew Orochimaru was up to something when he proposed he played 'Hide and Seek' with his student. He was pretty sure Kakashi understood that he just wanted what was best for him when he asked him to stay away from the Sannin. But his student just had to disobey a direct order and approached the Snake anyways. Now, Orochimaru got him. He couldn't help feeling anger directed at his sensei for the part he played in this whole thing. But that didn't matter… not now. Not when Kakashi was _gone_.

He glared at the rain drops falling out his window. He was sure the scent Pakuun picked up earlier would have completely disappeared by the time the rain let up.

"What should we do?" He distantly heard his student's summon ask. He pursed his lips and said nothing. He had nothing to offer anyways.

 **Author's Notes: I know it's shorter than the previous chapter, but that's to be expected. As a matter of fact, most of the later chapters will be about this length. I hope you liked the new installment; I would really love to know how you felt while reading this. It was really hard to write the first bit of the chapter for some reason :S**

 **This is a spoiler, but I want someone to answer the question. This story will include child abuse from here on out, should I include these scenes? Or would you rather I just included the aftermath of them? Please note that the rating will change accordingly, and even if I do include these scenes, they will be mild, for the most part.**

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 2:**

 **Prescripto13:** I'm glad you liked the game! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, too!

 **Seth7:** Thank you! :D

 **Bindi-fox:** Your review actually made me smile! Guess you hit the mark on the spot, huh?

 **JigokuShoujosR:** I really love Kakashi as a character, so I'm pretty sure we're not reaching that level *chuckles weakly* I have a pretty good idea where this is heading, I have the ending mostly planned out, but it's going to take quite a while for the story to reach its end! I hope I can fulfill these expectations!

 **Jleath1234:** Thanks! Kushina just might make an appearance, although if she is included, it'll just be a passing moment. Anko, however, will not make an appearance in this story. She is one of the main characters of my other story, 'A Love Long Lost', if you're interested!

 **Likefireneedsair:** You have no idea how much reviews such as yours make me happy… Well, happy and just a tad bit nervous, hehe. I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter, though!

 **Josephine:** Thank you so much! During this story, there are going to be a lot of twists and turns, I'm going to refrain from saying anything else so that the story wouldn't be completely ruined for you!

 **Again, thanks for the wonderful reviews! You think you know where this story is heading, but I think you couldn't be any more misguided *chuckles evilly*. Well, see you next chapter! Oh, and don't forget to answer the question (and review)!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: What?! An update that didn't take over a month?! Is the world coming to an end?! Thankfully, it's not, but this just proves how excited I am to get to the story. Sorry for all the horror fans out there, this chapter only contains a snippet of torture… but hopefully I'll make up for it in the next chapter! I did as most of you suggested and told you when to skip and when it is safe to continue reading, so don't worry! This is my first time writing any scene containing violence like this, so it's not that detailed and I think it's really bad… Hopefully, I'll get better!**

 **One more thing… one of you was confused as to when the last scene in the previous chapter occurs; the answer is that it takes place three days after Kakashi is captured. Just wanted to clear that up!**

 **Warning: Violence**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**

 **Chapter 4**

 _Three days earlier…_

Orochimaru smirked as the boy fell unconscious. Soon, he would find out if the supposed prodigy was a possible candidate. He carried his smaller frame over his shoulder and avoided the more crowded streets of Konoha. It was only a matter of time before he was out of the village's gates. The Snake had done this enough times to know how to pass through undetected by the guards. Once he was far from the huge wall, he took a right turn and entered a cave most people and some ninja would miss. He set the kid down before his hands flew through the too familiar seals. Not a second after his hands finished the last seal, a low rumble sounded as the wall he was standing in front of opened like a gate. He carried the silver-haired Chuunin inside and headed into a room, ignoring the echo of tortured screams and animalistic yelps on his way.

The room he entered only had a metal slab at the very center. He dumped the boy on the metallic structure and strapped his wrists and ankles to the chains attached to the slab. The child, thankfully, stirred but did not awake. The Sannin left the room for a few minutes before he returned with a syringe containing a colorless liquid. He quickly found a vein and pushed the plunger, driving the thick liquid into Kakashi's body. He nodded to himself, _that should be enough to knock him out for a few days,_ he thought, _more than enough time for me to finish my first few tests._

With that thought in mind, Orochimaru exited the room and walked down the hallway. Before he started working on his newest charge, he had his previous experiments to attend to. He checked on the lab first. Almost all of the remaining children with the First Hokage's genes were promptly flushed out. He wondered why none of them were showing any potential.

"Why are none of them surviving, Malaka?" he asked the medic in charge of the clones.

"We don't know yet, Orochimaru-sama, but we'll find out and take care of the problem," His most trusted medic assured. Orochimaru hummed, he might have to flush them all out and try again with another set if none of them showed any progress soon. He shook his head as he exited the lab with a trolley containing many empty needles and other syringes filled with liquids of different colors. He checked on his Curse Mark experiments but didn't linger, only three of the five died. Orochimaru figured that was a good sign for the remaining two. Perhaps after his tests with his latest prisoner were over, he could add another marked individual to the surviving two.

He pushed the trolley into the room and set about getting settled. He turned on the light and instantly the whole room was illuminated with a too bright glow. He placed the trolley close to him as he worked. The first step he had to follow was to test whether or not the kid's blood type was compatible with his own. With that in mind, Orochimaru, then, took one empty syringe and pulled the plunger. The once empty container was filled with a bright red color almost instantly. He put the now not so empty needle in its place on the trolley before he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

He turned off the lights and shut the door behind him. He didn't need to keep the child here for long. Just enough time to apply the Mark and make sure he doesn't die before he could send him back to the Hidden Leaf. Suspicion, however, would fall upon him if he mysteriously disappeared for a few days after the Hatake goes missing only to just as inexplicably reappear on the day the boy returns. Thus, Orochimaru decided to postpone his daily check up on the other experiments. That could wait. He had high hopes for the brat, and if their blood types were compatible, he was sure that the still small body would be of use to him in the future.

-oOo-

Minato's heart sank lower and lower as he watched the still-pouring rain. Usually, he wouldn't mind the rain that much, he might even be out there splashing under it, forgetting that he was an S-ranked ninja with a 'Flee on Sight' command in the bingo book and that he was a twenty-something assassin responsible for killing innocents and soldiers alike to make sure that his village won the war, laughing at his pupil's exasperated sighs.

Nonetheless, this time, he found himself wishing for it to just stop raining so he could get out there and start looking for his student. He could tell that the pug seated beside him was just as, if not even more, worried for the pint-sized shinobi. Minato considered comforting the small dog, giving him hope that he did not have and strength that he did not feel.

But before he could open his mouth to say anything, _he_ came into view.

There was no mistaking the long black hair and pale skin, the snake-like golden eyes that were always so infuriatingly calm. Feeling a hot blind rage overcome him, the Yellow Flash lived up to his nickname as the fastest man alive as he threw open the window and jumped down so he was right in front of the Sannin. Minato mentally kicked himself. He had just returned from the front lines. He was tired, exhausted even. His strength was almost completely wiped out. He knew for a fact that if the Snake Sannin decided to pick up a fight, he would not be the winner. He braced himself, _too late to retreat now._

The heavy rain prickled his skin but the blond didn't pay the downpour any mind as cool, snake eyes regarded him for a few minutes.

"What do you want?" The careless voice drawled out. He could hear more than he could see the pale man's smirk which only served to make the angry fire in Minato's eyes flicker more strongly. How dare he take his student-turned-son away and then be so indifferent about it?!

"Where's Kakashi?" he ground out through gritted teeth. The older man looked thoughtful.

"Is he missing, now?" Orochimaru was a very good actor, Minato decided as the Snake scratched his chin, "I have no idea where he went… Why are you asking me? What does that Hatake brat have to do with me?" The black-haired man shook his head as he waved his hand. Minato almost growled.

"I know you took him," Minato said while glaring at his teacher's teammate.

"The fact that you don't like me doesn't make me a kidnapper," the Snake replied evenly before laughing, "If the boy is missing, you should be looking for him instead of blaming people for his disappearance," Orochimaru stated, still too irritably calm, "Maybe he got hurt while training and is bleeding out as we speak," Minato shook his head.

"I'm certain you have him somewhere outside the village," Orochimaru's expression changed for a split second and despite the rain, Minato caught it.

"You sound sure," the dark-haired ninja laughed again, recovering quickly.

"Pakuun told me," Minato was sure he had won when the older man's whole demeanor changed.

"Pakuun…?" Orochimaru questioned, eyes narrowed and calm façade disappearing. Minato merrily nodded.

"Kakashi's nindog," Minato replied, "He summoned him while you were playing your little 'game'," Minato paused, he almost had him!

"Care to explain?" Minato felt the other's chakra spike in anger. Just then, he sensed another person quickly making his way towards them.

"Hey! What are you two doing out in the rain?" Minato almost groaned out loud. _Now is not the time, Jiraiya-sensei!_

"I was just going home, actually," Orochimaru had regained his calm and was already heading towards his house. Minato's clear blue eyes widened. He was slipping out of his grasp… _No, no, no!_ He lunged forward to stop the older nin's departure. He managed to grasp the other's wrist in a firm hold.

"You're not going anywhere before you tell me where Kakashi is!" he exclaimed, tightening his grip even more.

"You mean Kakashi's missing?" Jiraiya asked as he shook his student making him let go of the Snake, "Minato?!"

"He's not home," Minato stated, trying to get around his sensei, but Jiraiya did not grant him passage, "Pakuun said Orochimaru took him; now get out of my way!" The white-haired man's eyes were as wide as saucers, his mouth wide open. The sight was comical, but the blond couldn't bring himself to laugh.

"Why would Pakuun think _Orochimaru_ would do something like that?" Jiraiya asked as he shook his head, "It's just not possible," he said with a chuckle, "Orochimaru… as if!"

"Are you sure that Orochimaru wouldn't do something like this?" Minato questioned, angrily wiping away water, rain or tears he wasn't sure, from his face, "Or do you trust him too much to think that he wouldn't do it?" With that, Minato turned on his heel and jumped up the window.

Jiraiya lingered after his student had left. His heart told him that Orochimaru would never, ever hurt anyone from the Hidden Leaf. And yet… the empty space that the Snake Sannin used to occupy proved otherwise. Besides, there have been quite a lot of kidnappings in the village, and Orochimaru was almost always a constant suspect. He bit his lip. Why would Orochimaru avoid answering Minato if he had nothing to hide?

He refused to believe what his mind was telling him was the logical conclusion. He couldn't start doubting his teammate. This could just be one big misunderstanding. Only one thing could determine whether or not his fellow teammate had done what Minato says he did. With that thought in mind, Jiraiya headed towards his friend's house.

-oOo-

Orochimaru's good mood had been instantly shattered when the idiot of a ninja jumped in front of him, right eye twitching with his fists clenched tightly. He had just found out that the Hatake's body would be his for the taking if the need ever arose, seeing as it was compatible with him. Only to have his mood swing a hundred and eighty degrees as the supposed Yellow Flash of Konoha shot question after question at him. It was as if, somehow, he knew that he was responsible for his precious student's disappearance.

When the blond moron mentioned Pakuun, everything finally clicked into place. Orochimaru was getting ready for a fight he was sure to win when his bumbling fool of a teammate came, unknowingly, to his rescue. Using the distraction to his advantage, it was easy for the Snake Sannin to get rid of the grip on his wrist and slip away from the scene, leaving sensei and student to argue.

He couldn't help but feel surprised when the blond headed back to his apartment instead of following him. He wasn't as astonished when he felt the Toad Sage's chakra rapidly closing in on his house. He waited for the inevitable all too calmly. Convincing Minato would be hard on his best days and impossible when he knew the truth. Convincing _Jiraiya_ , on the other hand, would be easy no matter what the conditions were. His white-haired teammate was simply too trusting. A few moments later, a loud boom echoed through his home.

"Jiraiya," he greeted with a nod, "What do you want?" Acting friendly would raise quite a few alarms so he settled for talking with his teammate the way he always did. He glared at the taller Sannin as he entered the house and made himself comfortable on one of the couches in the living room. The other seemed to fidget before he started.

"Minato says Kakashi's missing," Jiraiya said, scratching his head, "He also says Pakuun saw you take him…" the white-haired man shook his arms wildly in front of him, "I told him it was completely unbelievable, I know you, Orochimaru, and I know you would never do something like that," To his credit, the Snake Summoner was able to keep his snort at bay, "I just… I just wanted to hear your side of the story," he continued, eyes filled to the brim with such unwavering faith that Orochimaru felt the need to puke.

"I know nothing about the brat's disappearance," Orochimaru said uncaringly, waving a hand, "Minato hates me for some reason… He was all too ready to blame me for anything," Jiraiya nodded, convinced, "I didn't even see the brat that day… Didn't get a chance to get him to play that game either,"

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, pony tail swishing as he jumped to stand up, "I'll just go tell Minato that. Thanks for your time, Orochi!" The dark-haired man shook his head as he shut the door behind his teammate. That was almost _too_ easy. But then again, Jiraiya seemed like he would believe him if he said that he saw a pink elephant fly so he didn't see the Hatake brat that day. He didn't have any time to waste. Minato would no doubt come to interrogate him again, but he couldn't afford to lose this opportunity.

He had to take advantage of the rain and head back to his cave. They wouldn't be able to figure out how to open the entrance to his hideout. They wouldn't even be able to find it if the rain did its job and covered his scent. Orochimaru nodded to himself before he packed enough food for a few days and quickly left the house.

-oOo-

Jiraiya grinned from ear-to-ear as he delivered the 'good news'. He was certain that Minato was convinced. However, his student shook his head.

"Orochimaru said that they didn't even _meet_ that day!" he said, "He didn't even see him, he couldn't have kidnapped him!"

"You're being played, Sensei," Minato sighed exasperatedly, "He's using you, just like he used you to help him prepare that game,"

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Jiraiya shook his head in annoyance, "They didn't even play it,"

"Fine," the blond stood up and pulled his teacher to his feet as well, "We're going to talk to Orochimaru together," he paused before he said, "Although I'm pretty sure he bolted by now," Jiraiya grumbled something under his breath, but Minato didn't care. He had to make the Sannin _see_ what Orochimaru really was… before it was too late… for him and for Kakashi, too.

The two famous shinobi walked uncaringly in the rain, muscles throbbing and body exhausted. Kakashi's pug was silently trekking behind them, sensing the tension in the air. The three finally made it to their target's door.

"There isn't anyone in there, Sensei," Minato said, having sensed the emptiness behind the door. Jiraiya ignored him and knocked loudly. No footsteps were heard coming to the door. Jiraiya knocked again. They couldn't even hear any movement. Jiraiya knocked again. Minato gave him a pointed look.

"You said they didn't play the game," Minato yelled over the deafening knocks, "Let's go to where you prepared the game, we'll see if Orochimaru was telling the truth,"

"Great idea!" Minato almost felt bad for doing this to his sensei, but it had to be done. Jiraiya had to see the monster that Orochimaru was.

-oOo-

Orochimaru finally made it back to his hideout. He got inside the cave and walked through the dark halls. His bad mood made one of the Curse Mark test subjects shrink and cower in fear as he passed by its cage. The other tried to attack him from behind the bars, mouth agape and animalistic hands trying to reach him. It whimpered in pain before slumping against the far end of the wall after he subjected it to pain through its Curse Mark. He wondered what he should do while he waited for his newest body candidate to awake. His lips curled into a smirk. He still had that _other experiment_ to keep him entertained.

-oOo-

Jiraiya searched around for his summon at the lake. _Where is he?_ Minato sighed from his place by a tree, the dog napping beside him. _He isn't here._ The realization dawned on him like a ton of bricks. _I still can't be sure,_ he thought as he bit his thumb and summoned the small toad.

"Yo, Jiraiya-boy," the amphibian greeted, "What's up?" Jiraiya didn't bother with a greeting.

"Do you still have the bandanna I gave you?" He asked, hoping against hope that he did. The toad looked at him funny.

"Didn't the puny brat tell you he got it?" Jiraiya felt his world spin. Orochimaru met Kakashi that day _. Minato was telling the truth._ Orochimaru had lied to him- _used_ him. _Minato was right._ Orochimaru was the one responsible for Kakashi's disappearance. _Minato almost had him._ Jiraiya looked at his young student with saddened eyes. _Orochimaru got away because I-I…_

Minato almost felt bad for his sensei. _Almost._ Because if he hadn't stopped him from getting answers from Orochimaru, they would have known where Kakashi was. Because if he hadn't trusted Orochimaru so blindly, they would have been searching for Kakashi, possibly have already found him by now. Because if he hadn't helped Orochimaru with the game, Kakashi wouldn't be missing in the first place.

"We should look for Kakashi," Jiraiya whispered, voice barely audible over the loud rain. Minato nodded as he stood upright, no longer leaning on the tree, his muscles protested and he winced, but he followed his sensei out the village gates.

"Where did you stop, Pakuun?" The pug ran at full speed towards the place he last caught a whiff of his friend.

-oOo-

 _Present time…_

"Are you ready to play, Kakashi-kun?" The Sannin asked, "This game is going to be fun, too, I promise," Kakashi swallowed around the lump in his throat, "It's a game of endurance," Kakashi bit his bottom lip under the mask as he watched the Snake inspect one sharp object after the other. He shut his eyes. Maybe if he didn't see them, the throbbing in his chest would slow down and it would no longer be as hard to breathe.

"Come on, Kakashi-kun, open your eyes," Orochimaru said with a sigh, "I want to explain the first part of the game to you,"

Kakashi slowly opened his eyes to come face-to-face with the Sannin's grinning face.

"Now, listen, the rules are pretty simple, Kakashi-kun," he said, "I'm going to see just how many of those you can take before you pass out," he motioned to a metallic rod, "It's going to be very… enlightening," Kakashi fought back a shudder. The way the Sannin said it made one think that he was merrily commenting about the weather, "Think of it as a slightly different type of training," The Chuunin tensed as the older nin approached, box full of the metallic rods in his hand, "As I put these, you should keep counting backwards from one thousand, skip by seven," the Snake was too close for comfort now, "Start counting," Kakashi had no idea what he should do. He gasped for air when the Sannin punched him in the stomach, "Start counting!" he ordered, eyes flashing with anger. Thinking it would hurt less if he obliged his captor, he started.

 **-Start Skipping Here-**

"One thousand… Nine-hundred-ninety-three…" Nodding in acceptance, Orochimaru put the box on the ground before taking one of the rods. He pushed the bar inside the Chuunin's shoulder, tearing the skin. Once it was inside, the Snake twisted it around, breaking muscle. The Hatake grunted as blood oozed out of the wound but gave no further reaction.

"Nine-hundred-sixty-five…" Orochimaru moved to the next shoulder and did the same. The boy smirked under his mask. Now that he knew what to expect, it didn't seem to hurt as much. Orochimaru stepped back once the other rod was in place.

"It's too early to get comfortable, Kakashi-kun," he said as he tapped the two at the same time, forcing some of his chakra into them. The two poles started shaking. Kakashi didn't stop counting as he watched them with a raised eyebrow. Just then, a searing pain shot through one shoulder blade to the other. Each shoulder throbbed horribly at certain intervals of time, the pain intensifying after each interval. It took him a while to register someone screaming. He couldn't help whoever was yelling at the top of their lungs, however. He had his own problems to attend to right now. His eyes and mouth were wide open when he realized that those were his own screams echoing through the room. When he thought the pain couldn't get any worse, he felt something sharp cut through his right hand and pin it to the slab he was on. Seconds later, the pain no longer followed a path between his shoulders but twisted a way to get to the rod now in his right hand. He tried to get his screams under control. He was successful, to a certain extent, until a pole was inserted into his left hand as well.

The pain shooting between the four points was unbearable. Kakashi's vision blurred but he didn't fall unconscious. He could feel wetness on his face, but he paid that no mind as the pain once again took root in his psyche. He dimly wondered why he hadn't passed out yet. He would sooner die than feel any more pain. He felt the skin on his left foot tear apart and couldn't help crying out even louder, knowing that every time one of those demonic things got inside, pain would follow right after. He was proven correct when a slight throbbing started in his foot before it got connected with the cycle of pain. His breaths came in and out as pants and his vision almost completely faded, but he could hear that someone still screaming. _Who was screaming again?_ The noise seemed so far away and Kakashi wished the person would just stop so he could sleep. But more than anything, he wished that the pain would stop, too.

 **-It is Safe to Continue Reading-**

Orochimaru sighed ruefully as the boy finally returned to the world of unconsciousness. He kept the rods inside the boy's small frame for a few more moments before pulling them out. He didn't mind the blood that oozed from the sleeping body and even licked the dark red substance off of his rods with his too long tongue. The first part of the 'game' was over, but there were more parts to come. He took the box full of rods with him but kept the rest of his kit inside the brat's room. He headed to his lab and left the rods there before he ordered one of his followers to take care of the boy's injuries. He wrote notes on his pad before he pursed his lips.

The team from Konoha had not yet found out about the cave's secret entrance nor were they close. He could finish his tests in this hideout before he had to make a hasty retreat and now that he knew that the boy's body might be a possible option for him in the future, he would take the brat with him.

 **Author's Notes: Light was shed on three things in this chapter. What was Orochimaru working on when Kakashi was unconscious? First to guess what that is gets a reward! Why did Orochimaru make Kakashi count from one thousand backwards? Again, whoever guesses that first gets a prize, as well! To be fair though, I won't give both rewards to the same person ;) The answers will most likely be given out next chapter! Oh, and Malaka (the medic) is just there for the lack of Kabuto at this point in time XD**

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 3:**

 **Lady InuIzayoi** **: I'm really glad you love it, a super long update for you ;)**

 **RockingTheGraveyard:** **It really makes me happy to see people excited about stories I write! Thanks for your suggestion, by the way! As you see, I did just that!**

 **TheHaloFreak:** **Thank you so much! Your review made me smile ^^**

 **kakashifan7** **: Don't worry; I'm not that good at writing them anyways XD They are pretty short and not too explicit or graphic. Thanks! Jiraiya's purpose was pretty much exposed in this chapter. He thought he was helping Orochimaru, whom he trusted too much.**

 **Prescripto13:** **You're right… even I felt bad when he lost XD**

 **Jleath1234** **: Thanks for reviewing as well! I'm glad you liked it!**

 **SilverSapphire34523:** **I'm sorry I included them, but I put a warning at the beginning and before them. Hope that helped!**

 **Bindi-fox** **: Thanks for your review and your suggestion that I used! As for Kakashi… hmm… the whole story is about bad things happening… I think this whole thing will leave him scarred and change what is to come. Don't you think?**

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge:** **I don't think the scene lived up to your expectations :( It's still my first time so if you have any suggestions on how I can improve them please let me know! It would certainly help in later chapters!**

 **Josephine:** **Thanks! I really enjoy writing the story as well and it makes me happy to no end to see other people enjoying my work! I actually used to send pms to reviewers before I realized I could just address everyone in the next chapter XD It means a lot to an author to know that people like their stories, so I guess it's a win-win huh?**

 **Here's a big thank you to everyone who is reading this story! I hope everyone enjoyed the super-duper long chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for all the wonderful reviews as always! I don't know if I said this before but this story is getting a lot more attention than I thought it would, so I'm pretty happy! Well, enough rambling, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

Chapter 5

He had finally gotten them to the last place he smelled it. He sniffed every grass blade, every tree. But... Nothing. Not a single scent he recognized. The two others weren't _waiting_ for him, they went to search on their own, but he was sure there was something in this area they were missing. He sniffed the log yet again. Nothing... He refused to give up. However, he knew from the very beginning that he would find nothing. His nose, his strongest attribute, was useless under these circumstances. It was useless all because of the rain.

Rain. The life-giving pure, pure water that all beings drank every single day. Rain. The liquid that saved millions of lives just by being there. Rain. _The very thing that might cost his friend's life._

It had already eliminated all the scents. But the loyal pug would keep on sniffing. Would keep on trying to find that one scent. Would keep on trying to save his friend.

Dogs were man's best friend, after all, and it wouldn't do for a loyal pug to give up on his master in a life-or-death situation. Especially when said loyal pug still had hope. The little brat he called boss was still alive, that's a fact. The evidence being the continued existence of the loyal pug in the human world.

The dog searched around the area, again and again and again. He had been turning in circles for more than five consecutive hours, he guessed he could rest for a while. He trotted to a hidden cave nearby all the while convincing himself that it would not be an insult nor a sort-of giving up for him to rest. Once he was under the cave's roof, away from the unforgiving rain, he shook the droplets of water that clung to his coat sending them flying off in all directions. He took a deep breath as he sat down, promising himself that he would continue his rounds in another five minutes.

His breath hitched in his throat. He sniffed again. The scent. It was old, but it was there. He could smell it!

His eyes lit up with renewed vigor, he set out again. He had to find his friend's teacher and tell him about his discovery. He forced his little legs to work faster and get him to the man quickly. He had no time to waste!

-oOo-

The blond didn't know where his student might be, but he continued his search. God knows that the skilled six-year-old had gone through too much already despite his age, he didn't deserve this to happen to him too. He hoped he could find the young boy soon, he hoped he would arrive before he was too traumatized. He almost scoffed out loud. It had already been a little over a week since the disappearance. He would be an idiot to think that his precious only pupil would be rescued unscathed.

"Where are you, Kakashi?" His question fell on the wind's deaf ears. He was too far away from the village gates now, but he didn't care. He wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop. Because if he stopped, he would start to blame, to turn bitter, to just stand there and let the whole world know about the unfairness of it all. But he couldn't afford to blame. He couldn't afford to turn bitter. He didn't have the time to yell and shout and scream. His student-turned-son was somewhere out there.

For the first time in his life, Namikaze Minato felt despair dwell in his heart. Felt it grow till it immersed his whole body to the point that it was unbearable. The dark sky seemed to share his feelings, share his hopelessness, it cried the tears he couldn't afford to shed. He convinced himself that the water falling down his cheeks was only the rain and moved on. He questioned himself not for the first time whether he was ever going to get his student back or not. He wondered about the state he would find him in; would he even be alive? Will he be forced to bring back his little charge's dead body through Konoha's gates?

He wiped at his face stubbornly. He didn't know why he even hoped to find him. The cursed Sannin could have taken his student anywhere. He could have taken him into some underground tunnel only he knew about. He could have taken him to a secret base only he could open. There was no hope of bringing his little student back. He didn't know why he was so stupid to think that he even had a chance of finding him.

With a heavy heart and dark thoughts coursing through his mind, Minato turned tail. The uncharacteristic frown was that much more obvious on his usually smiling face. He would go back to the village today, get some rest he didn't have the time to get since his mission. Tomorrow he would be back. And the day after that and the day after that, too. He would keep on going out to look for him, but for how long? Sooner or later, people were going to start talking. Start telling him about how it was impossible, he would never find the silver-haired arrogant, rude brat that still somehow wormed his way into his heart. _Start telling him things he already knew_. Stubbornly he would go out again and again. People will start asking him how long he was going to get out there to look for someone that might be dead, a question that would have crossed his mind more than once. What would he say?

His frown deepened as the huge gates came into view. The same gates he felt giddy upon setting eyes on not many days ago. When things were much easier and his emotionless, blunt brat would greet him at the door telling him just how much of an idiot he was for forgetting it was his turn to take out the garbage before he went on his mission again and that he had to take it out for him which meant that he owed him a huge favor now.

As he remembered all those precious, precious memories he took for granted and his eyes welled up with tears that his vision became blurry, he decided. He would always, always steel his heart and smile wryly. He would scratch the back of his head with his eyes closed and he would cheerfully reply, "As long as it takes!"

After all, he owed the six-year-old turned adult that much.

He felt the storm inside him grow stronger as he crossed through the gates. It rained harder as his apartment door came into view. He realized he forgot to lock the door when his key stuck but did not turn. His hand froze midway through to the iron handle. He watched his shaking hand. He didn't want to open the door. Opening the door meant further proof that what was happening was indeed real. There would be no silver-haired child playing with his ninken _(all the while claiming it to be training)_ beyond the door. There would be no disaster in the kitchen after one too many failed attempts to cook inside.

He withdrew his hand and leaned against the door. His back slid down slowly and his head touched the wooden door behind him. He strained his hearing and forced himself to imagine the sound of paws and soft feet rushing through the house, to imagine the boy's orders to his dogs to just eat the thing he made, it wasn't that bad and just ignore that it just _moved_ , Pakuun!

It worked. If setting his tears loose was the objective.

Why? Why did his sensei agree to creating this 'game'? Why? Why did Kakashi choose this time of all times to disobey his orders? Why? Why did he have to be away when his student sorely needed him? Life just wasn't fair, a comrade once told him. At the time, Minato only partially agreed, there were too many beautiful things in life to label it to be unfair. Now, Minato couldn't agree any more than he did.

His eyes stung and his throat closed up. He hugged his knees, fighting back a sob. He swallowed around the huge lump that refused to buckle as he put his head on his knees. He yearned for someone to open the door behind him, forcing him to fall on his back, look down on him and mutter, tone coated with disapproval, "Stop being so emotional, Sensei. Remember Shinobi Rule Number Four,"

A chuckle escaped his lips and it sounded nothing like a real laugh. While his usual laughs were so full of happiness, his kind-of choked chuckle that was more like a sob was devoid of anything but sorrow and a tinge of self-pity at his helplessness.

He didn't know how long he sat there, thoughts jumbled and imagination running wild telling him there were sounds beyond the door that just weren't _there_. He had been going on for the last few days almost disbelieving that such a thing had happened to _his student_ of all people. It almost felt like he was living a day in someone else's life, feeling the desperation that did not belong to him. Being here outside his door, straining to hear for the familiar noises, however, made him finally come to terms with the fact that this was real, this was happening. _It will continue being true no matter what he told himself._

He finally got up on wobbly legs. It was time to face reality. His shaking hand gripped the iron handle so tight his knuckles turned white. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when the door opened to reveal an empty apartment. He laughed heart-wrenchingly, not because of the vacant state of the place but because of the fact that he still felt the slightest bit surprised.

He paused outside the door leading to a room he was sure would be empty as well. It didn't look any different than it did before his mission when its occupant was still around. Minato lay down on the too small bed inhaling the scent stuck on the blanket and on the pillow. He decided he could rest there as he watched the tiny droplets of water slide down the window.

His eyelids drooped and he felt warm inside. The scent he could smell tricked his fatigue-ridden brain into thinking that his student was alright, he was there. The sense of bliss faded as soon as it had come. He should stop lying to himself. No matter what he told himself, the situation was not going to change, not when he was cozy inside instead of searching in the cold rain outside. He argued that if he didn't get some rest, he would collapse and be that much farther away from reaching his student. His inner voice shut up then. Minato was asleep before he knew it.

-oOo-

The white-haired man's feet hurt. His muscles ached. His head pounded with each drop that fell on his head. He was in pain... Both physically and mentally. To think that his teammate would do what he had done. He almost didn't believe it. He hadn't, in fact, until his trusty toad had unknowingly called his supposed friend on his lie.

Just what was he thinking when he helped his teammate with his request? Oh, right. He was thinking that he was helping his friend overcome whatever coldness that had taken root in his core. That explanation seemed foolish even to him now. He had made a very big, very grave, very _stupid_ mistake but he wasn't paying for it. No, he wasn't. It was Sakumo's little boy, the last of the Hatake clan who was.

Here he had thought he had been doing his late friend justice by checking in on his son every now and then. Needless to say, Sakumo was surely cursing him right now. If the White Fang were alive, Jiraiya would have already been six feet under with a tanto wound to the gut being the cause of death.

The Toad Sannin shook his head. He would find the brat and he would be okay. He had to be. Jiraiya would never forgive himself if he wasn't.

-oOo-

Pain. His ankle hurt. It was like some savage beast had decided it looked like a tasty meal and bit down on it as hard as it could. His eye twitched as the beast's jaw let go of his foot only to close even harder on it.

"Wake up!" A gruff voice said. He didn't like it. He was tired and it was asking him to get up from his warm, too small bed. Why was he in this bed in the first place? Everything smelled of Kakashi. Why was he sleeping in his student's bed? His eyes opened ever so slowly. Where was Kakashi anyways?

"Morning, sunshine! Did you have a nice nap?" The jaw had let go of his foot in favor of talking. He closed his eyes again. He tried to shake the teeth off of his ankle.

"Stop it," He mumbled, his words made sluggish due to sleep.

"Well, I may have found something if you're interested," The gruff voice stated.

"Something?" He asked. What was it talking about?

"Kakashi's scent," Minato spared the pug a glance. And just like that,the memories of the previous days came crashing down on him like a thunder strike.

"Oh," He managed yet his voice lacked its usual happy-go-lucky luster even to his ears.

"Aren't you coming?" The pug asked, looking back at him from the doorway. He looked so hopeful, his eyes were twinkling with excitement at the prospect of him having found something that would lead them to his boss. The blond refrained from going up to the dog, shake him and tell him just how hopeless their situation was, how impossible ever getting Kakashi back was.

"Let's go then," He didn't know why he wasn't as hopeful as the pug was. They might actually find a lead, after all. However, maybe that was exactly why Minato didn't share the same feelings. Might, maybe, perhaps... Those were just possibilities. Possibilities were meant to give people hope even when there was none.

But really, Namikaze Minato was tired of hoping.

-oOo-

Orochimaru's day couldn't have gone better. The 'endurance test' he had conducted on the Hatake brat proved fruitful. The younger shinobi had been able to persevere more rods than half the people he did it on. Considering his subject was, by far, the youngest he had ever tried it on, he thought it was quite a feat. If the boy could take as many rods as he did at six, how many could he take when he was older and ready for the body transfer? All he needed to do for it to be ready was apply the Curse Mark. Judging by the amount of pain the kid was able to endure, he might not die after the procedure. All in all, things were looking up to him.

However, good things weren't meant to last as not too many hours later, his snakes reported that the brat's mutt came out of no where to rest in his hideout's entrance. He figured that the dog would hurry back to its summoner's teacher to tell him about the familiar scent he caught inside.

Now would be the time for his fleeing act, but Orochimaru did not want to leave the silver-haired test subject behind. He was showing such potential, it would be a terrible waste. And if he were to lose him now, he had no high hopes of ever getting him back in the future.

Yes, he decided, the brat would have to come with him. Especially since he was in the middle of another test. He opened the door, turned on the lights. His medic carried a sealed box into the room and placed it at the side of the metal slab. The figure on the slab eyed the box with wide eyes which were once too stoic but were now filled with fear, worry and suspense. The black-haired man chuckled. He only laughed harder when the boy's expression turned into one of pure terror once he saw his captor.

"Start preparing to leave this base, Malaka," he ordered. The medic rushed to obey the demand instantly. The door softly clicked behind him as Orochimaru turned to the table he had set up earlier.

"Hello, Kakashi-kun, did you sleep well?" He could see him wince from the corner of his eye. He smirked as he turned around having finally found the scalpel he needed, "Don't forget to count," Immediately, the numbers started flowing through the child's mouth. He had taught him well over the week, he thought as he nodded in approval. He kneeled to open the box which contained a rather innocent-looking scroll.

Kakashi watched the Sannin roll out the scroll on the floor. He felt his heart beat quicken as the other approached him. The numbers flowed through gritted teeth for the second it took to tear his skin. Blood dripped down his arm into the cold pot his tormentor held. Before he knew it, his other arm was slashed as well and the small pot was nearly filled to the brim with red, coppery blood. _His_ red, coppery blood. Kakashi felt like vomiting, but sadly there wasn't anything but gastric juices to throw up.

Kakashi shuddered as the man dipped his finger into the pot and wrote on the scroll. What he was writing he didn't know. He wasn't sure he wanted to. He inwardly laughed. _He was certain he didn't want to._

The Sannin kept writing until Kakashi reached five-hundred-eighty. With one last stroke, he slammed his hand down on the blood-tainted scroll. Kakashi's world morphed almost instantly.

 _It was raining. Hard. Thunder struck, his footsteps quickened in response. He had just made Chunin but the weather didn't share his pride nor happiness. His bangs drooped into his eyes yet he didn't care. He was almost home. He scoffed. That place stopped being home a long time ago. Ever since that stupid, stupid mistake his equally foolish father decided to make. The rules were put for a reason. It was his father's own fault for disregarding them._

 _He opened the house's door all the while taking care not to set off any traps. Ever since word got out that the prolongation of the war was due to a mistake Konoha's White Fang had made, the Hatake household needed a lot more protection than ever._

 _He didn't bother with checking on his depressed father. It wasn't his fault that everything took a turn for the worst. Despite his thoughts, he skidded to a halt in front of the study. It was too quiet. His ninja instincts screamed at him that something was off, something was dead wrong._

 _"Father?" He called, the word sounded weird on his tongue. It had been a long time since he used the title. His grip tightened around a kunai. He sniffed the air. Even the smell of the house wasn't normal. He usually only smelled this on the battlefield where people died and bodies were burned to dust. It was strong, too. Kakashi feared the worst as the scent of blood wafted into his nostrils. He sniffed several times as if to shake out the mortifying stench._

 _What happened? Did someone attack the house in a fit of rage? Had an avenger decide to break in and hurt his father? The smell of blood was too strong. Not to mention that his father hadn't been training in the last few months, he was thoroughly out of shape; thus, if a ninja ranked Chunin or more decided to take revenge on him, he wouldn't stand much of a chance._

 _He assumed the worst as he shook his head. It's alright if his father was killed, he would get what he deserved. He was a traitor to the village the second he picked his comrades over the mission. He nodded to himself while following his nose. After all, in the ninja world, those who break the rules are called trash. His nose led him to the study. He stopped outside the door, one hand still holding the kunai in a death hold while the other unflinchingly opened the door._

 _He really thought he had braced himself for the worst. But as he stood frozen over his father's corpse with blood coating his feet and thunder clapping outside, he thought he couldn't have been any more wrong._

 _The child in him wanted nothing more than to sit in the corner of the room and cry. Cry until his tears dried up. Wail until his father came back from the dead to tell him that it was all a nightmare, he didn't fail the mission and he didn't die. He didn't commit suicide, he didn't leave him all alone. He didn't leave him to take the blame, he didn't and he never, ever would._

 _The ninja in him, on the other hand, saw the reality of the situation for what it was. That side took it all too calmly, it told him to turn to get the Hokage or Sensei or someone. They would know what to do and he had a duty to the village to fulfill, to inform the Hokage of what had happened._

 _Each part of him told him to do something, each order being worlds apart from the other. That's why Kakashi stood there, frozen. He watched the lifeless body stare blindly ahead. He thought that if he stared hard enough, he could still see his chest move ever so slightly._

 _A shinobi should never show his emotions. Kakashi broke that rule that day as he cried while still standing beside the very much not-breathing person. He hoped that wouldn't interfere with his new goal. He would be the perfect shinobi, the perfect killing machine._

 _"All of this could have been avoided, Kakashi," The boy blinked a few times, not believing what he was hearing._

 _"If you had just stood by my side, things wouldn't have led to this," He looked up to the corpse._

 _"When you ignored me... It hurt worse than any injury I ever sustained in the war," The body he thought was dead was looking right at him, lips moving, eyes blinking watching him, accusing him. Perhaps the child's wishes were somehow answered. No-Maybe his imagination was just playing games. Surely this couldn't be real... Right?_

 _"When you started listening to everyone else... When you betrayed me... When you hated me..." He was talking to a dead man, but he couldn't stop listening because the kid inside him knew all he was saying was true, "I never thought I would be more devastated in my life,"_

 _"But you were the one who broke the rules," The ninja part stated coldly while the child wailed, "everything that happened is your fault," The should-have been corpse frowned at him, a frown of disappointment, of betrayal, of utter sorrow. Then, his father chuckled. It was so full of emotion, too many different emotions that Kakashi couldn't name all of them._

 _"Do you want me to say that I'm sorry?" Kakashi's brows furrowed, "I'm not, though," The older Hatake had a thoughtful look on his face, "I'm not sorry... I still believe that I've done the right thing," He smiled wryly yet his son remained silent, "Maybe someday you'll understand,"_

 _"There is nothing to understand," the younger one snapped, "You broke the rules and paid for it... That's all there is to it!" The long-haired man chuckled whole-heartedly._

 _"Someday that won't be all there is to it," the White Fang replied, "I'm sure you'll understand, you're a genius, after all! Aren't you, son?" Kakashi glared at the person he was convinced was just a figment of his imagination, "Until that day, though, just remember that you caused this," Sakumo's finger pointed at his son, breaking even the shinobi part of him. With that said, the body's eyes returned dull and unblinking, staring straight ahead. Its lips stopped moving, its voice didn't sound._

 _'What have I done?' The child asked himself, 'He's right, he's right! Why? Why did I leave him? Why did I leave my father? Why did I betray him? Why?' Tears slid down his face to soak into his mask with renewed vigor, 'Now he's gone... And it's all my fault!'_

Orochimaru watched the glowing letters he had written. If the scroll was doing its job, Kakashi would be sent to his worst memory as of yet. He never tried it on himself for obvious reasons, but it was supposed to tweak the memory a bit. Once the memory spin-off was over, the mind will block out specific details of previous, old memories causing the person to become slightly unstable mentally speaking. The whole purpose of applying the scroll was helping the Curse Mark take root easier as well as faster and reduce the risk of death. After the scroll was used, however, it could not be used again. That was why Orochimaru didn't use it on just _any_ experiment.

Once the letters stopped glowing, Orochimaru applied the Curse Mark on the boy's left shoulder. He would remain unconscious for a few days, maybe a week. If he awoke after that time, it would mean that the application of the Curse Mark was a success. If he didn't, the Sannin would have lost yet another subject to the power of the Curse Mark.

The Yellow Flash was in the cave with the mutt, one of his snakes told him. It would take him a lot of time to figure out the seal, especially since a certain seals' master had not yet arrived. He had to make use of the time provided and start acting. The blond would not be stuck outside forever. It wouldn't take long for him to leave the hideout. He figured he would leave the other Curse Mark experiments here, they would both be dead soon anyways as neither was showing any progress. The First Hokage gene carriers were almost completely wiped out a few days prior so he had flushed them all out.

He could carry the kid and leave the base. He had another hideout close by. However, he had no idea how he could get there. The exit and entrance were one and the same. He didn't make a backup exit for cases like this, a huge oversight on his part, so he didn't know how he could escape unseen. His best chance was that the blond would lose hope before his idiotic teammate came around. His snakes reported that the feared ninja was just not himself.

He decided he would wait for a few days. If the blond hadn't left by then, he would force his way out, even if the Toad Sage came by then. It was obvious that the teacher had gotten little (if any) rest since his frontline mission, something that could work in his favor. If he knew Jiraiya like he knew him, the white-haired fool wouldn't have gotten any either.

The Snake Sannin alone against both the Yellow Flash and the Toad Sannin would result in the two winning every time. However, the results of the Snake Sannin alone against the tired Yellow Flash and an even more exhausted Toad Sannin may vary. He could win if he played his cards right.

-oOo-

 _Closed door._

That was the first thing that popped into his mind.

 _Alone._

That thought made a surge of ease or relief or _something_ course through his veins despite the darkness surrounding him.

 _Escape_.

Yes, he realized. He could try to escape.

He jiggled the chains holding him to the metal slab, stiff shoulders aching with the movement. His left shoulder pained him horribly, a lot more so than his right. The pain alone caused stars to dance across his vision. He swallowed his pain and tried to squeeze his hand through the chains. It was a silly plan, but he just couldn't bring himself to care, that was all his foggy mind could think of at the moment.

 _Door opening._

He could hear it and his head immediately shot towards his room's door, or where he thought it would be.

 _Safe, still safe._

His door was still closed, his brain registered, the light did not cascade inside. Darkness meant safety, light was dangerous, light meant pain. His attention returned to the task at hand.

 _Footsteps, close._

He seized his attempts, feigning sleep almost at the same instant as the light entered the room from the bright outside. He just barely stopped his wince from outwardly showing when the light was switched on.

 _Danger... Danger! Help... Help!_

A flash of blond appeared in his mind's eye. He knew that somehow this blond would come to help him sooner or later. He felt something poking his shoulder, the wince could not be held back this time.

"Hmm... You're doing okay, Kakashi-kun," That voice said, shudders involuntarily shot through his body. Kakashi-kun... He guessed a long time ago that this Kakashi-kun was him... The voice always ordered him to count by calling him that... Pain always followed if he failed to respond. That's why the numbers were safe. The numbers kept the pain away. _The numbers were the one thing keeping him sane._

 _Lights off. Door closed._

He sighed in relief.

 _Footsteps fading._

 _Safe, still safe. No more pain._

Blond, blond, blond... When is he coming? He jiggled the chains again. Much to his chagrin, they weren't any looser than they were a few minutes ago or than they were... How long ago had he come here?

Where was he trying to escape to anyways? He was sure there was something outside the room if the owner of the voice always coming from out there was any indication... Did he ever go there before? Was it any different from his white, white room? Was there anything other than the four walls around him and the metal slab he lay on? Was there anything more dangerous than the door opening and the lights cascading in?

He didn't know. The blond would know, he was sure. The blond can answer all of his questions. The blond can do many things for him, he won't leave him in this place. He would come get him.

Just who was he anyways? Who was the blond he so desperately clung to the hope that would somehow, someday show up?

He didn't know anymore. But the blond would know. The blond would come and he would tell him everything.

He just hoped that this someday would come soon. The voice was starting to tell him about moving to a place they can never be found. It said it would be better and safer.

But better and safer was not with the owner of the voice... _Better and safer was only with the blond._

-o-O-o-

It had already been two weeks since he had brought the Hatake into this hideout. He had applied the Curse Mark only a week ago and, four days later, it was safe to say that Orochimaru was surprised when the kid was awake and well. The scroll had done a good job after all.

When the kid regained consciousness, it was as if another person had awoke. The kid just wasn't his usual self. At first, he didn't seem to react to his name nor know where he was and why for that matter. Orochimaru took liberty to remind him of those things over the previous four days. He took notes in his notebook almost everyday for later experiments such as this one. The Snake was able to gain quite a lot of information and he was proud of that fact.

He was disappointed, though because things outside the cave did not change much. The blond was barely even trying, despite the mutt's best efforts to get him working on finding a hidden entrance. The Toad Sage had arrived the day the brat woke up due to the insistence of the pug. He was trying, at least more so than the Yellow Flash, but he wasn't himself for some reason. If things kept going this way, Orochimaru wouldn't need to relocate. It would only be a matter of time before both men gave up.

Nonetheless, if they didn't leave by tomorrow, Orochimaru would be in danger. His food supplies were running short, he had to go out to replenish. He decided he would wait till noon tomorrow. If they didn't give up then, he would force his way out.

 **Author's Notes:** I don't know if you noticed, but this chapter is even longer than the last one XD I think it's because I wrote this on the iPad so I can't see how many words I've written. Anyways, only one of you guessed the answer to why Orochimaru made Kakashi count correctly while none guessed what Orochimaru was working on, but I really didn't expect anyone to. The other thing he was working on will be revealed in later chapters and the reason was included in this chapter (to keep him somewhat sane).

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 4:**

Lady Inulzayoi: Glad you like it! As you have seen the story took a major twist in this chapter, I think you can deduce the path this story will take from now on XD

KaiaRenkin: Congratulations on giving the correct answer! I hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapter :D

TheHaloFreak: I know right, his death was almost the saddest death in Naruto :( So I guess you'll be rooting for Minato and Jiraiya in the next chapter, right? I'm not gonna spoil anything for you... But I'm only gonna say that someone does take it but not for a whole other reason. And yeah he is totally bad-ass with it (would be without it too, he's just my fav character) XD

Prescripto13: Sadly, that is not the reason for counting backwards, but it was a good guess :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

kakashifan7: You were so close to the answer! I know there aren't many interactions between them which is weird since they are sensei-and-student... Maybe in the future I'll start a kid!Minato story XD

time2read: I'm sorry but this story revolves around evil!Orochimaru :S I hope you enjoyed the story regardless :D

Jleath1234: Thanks! Please tell me you liked this one!

JigokuShoujosRevenge: You really think so? Thanks a bunch! I'm glad you liked the scene and all! Sadly, your answer was correct but someone had already answered by the time you did :( I hope the whole reason for the torturing was clear in this chapter, it was indeed a test. I know, right?! I'd think that Jiraiya is that type of loyal to the end friend, that's why I made it that way, don't you agree? Yup, Orochimaru is considering that... I wonder if Minato'll win in the inevitable battle?

SilverSapphire34523: Great :D The reason behind counting was given in this chapter, but the thing he was working on was not... I didn't think anyone would find out anyways because no hints were given but everything will be made clear later :)

Bindi-Fox: I think 'mother hen' mode as you put it will be put on double after Minato finds Kakashi in his current condition. It might happen next chapter, but it also might not :P I love the father/son relationship they have but sadly there aren't too many fanfics about that (most of them are romance XD)

My brother (who beta'd this chapter) hated the part with Minato feeling all desperate and miserable XD I hope you guys liked it all the same! School is starting soon so updates will not be frequent :( Anyways, until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:** I'm really, really, really sorry for the super-late update… but school happened and soon enough, term tests came around and I found myself having less and less time to write anything. Now in all honesty, I wrote and rewrote the beginning of this chapter over three times and I still think it's not good enough, but I'll try harder next time, I guess. Heh heh… Since I've been gone so long, here's a short summary of what happened over the previous chapters.

 **Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!

 **Summary:** Minato was furious with Kakashi for accepting to play 'Hide and Seek' with his sensei's former teammate, Orochimaru, and made him promise to stay away from the Sannin during his mission to the frontlines. Later, Orochimaru comes to Kakashi, suggesting that they play another game, which Jiraiya had helped set up. During the game, Kakashi summons Pakuun who tells Minato and Jiraiya that Orochimaru had kidnapped Kakashi. Two weeks and five days have passed since the kidnapping occurred, yet the Toad Sage and the Yellow Flash have only found one lead while Orochimaru has conducted a few experiments on Kakashi. And now…

 **Chapter 6**

 _There has got to be something here…_ Jiraiya thought as he tried to find some sort of secret button on the cave's walls. He ran his hands along the rocky surface, half-expecting to hear something click and the entrance to the hideout magically appear in front of them. However, no such thing happened. _I'm so sorry, Sakumo._ This thought had been repeated well over a million times over the last two weeks and five days. If only he'd never helped Orochimaru, Kakashi wouldn't have been kidnapped. And he ouldn't be so spectacularly failing at keeping his promise.

 _Jiraiya's grin was practically splitting his face in half. The research material he was currently studying was proving to be most interesting. He frowned and his brows furrowed when he heard someone clear his throat. Groaning inwardly, the Toad Sage glanced at his interrupter. However, once he saw who it was, his grin was even larger than it had been before, if that was even possible._

" _Sakumo! Long time no see!" He stood up from his crouched position and clapped his best friend on the back, "How are you doing?" The silver-haired man returned his smile, yet Jiraiya found that he was tense, nervous if the White Fang was ever capable of feeling such an emotion. Thus, Jiraiya found himself fearing the worst as his childhood friend took a barely noticeable deep breath before speaking as they walked down the busy streets of Konoha._

" _When I found out, the first thing that came to mind was to find you," As his friend spoke, the Sannin was relieved that his voice seemed more excited than anxious, "Well, the thing is… I'm going to be a father!" With that said, Sakumo's whole face lit up like a bulb and his demeanor seeped joy. Jiraiya laughed loudly._

" _Congratulations! When is the Brat due?" Sakumo bristled at the nickname Jiraiya had given his unborn son but soon shrugged it off in favor of replying._

" _Sometime in September," he said, "But imagine that. A father… me!" Jiraiya chuckled amusedly. His chuckles died down when his friend's expression turned serious._

" _Is there anything wrong?" he found himself asking._

" _Not wrong, per se, but you know, in our line of work, things go wrong all the time," Jiraiya had a feeling he knew where this was going while Sakumo's eyes found his, "So if anything does go wrong, and for some reason, my wife and I can't take care of our child, could you do it for us?"_

" _I promise, Sakumo," the two shared a smile, and Jiraiya silently vowed that this promise, he would do his utmost best to keep, "So what are you naming the Brat?"_

" _We don't know yet," the White Fang said, "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it,"_

" _May I suggest a name, then?" Sakumo nodded enthusiastically, "And don't take it as a joke or anything, I'm dead serious,"_

And he had suggested one. And Sakumo and his wife had loved it. And the baby came one day in September and was called just what he had suggested. Nonetheless, Jiraiya hadn't kept his promise like he vowed he would. That's why finding Kakashi right now was imperative. He would save the Brat. If not for the kid's sake then definitely for the promise he had made all these years ago.

-oOo-

The Third Hokage sighed as he stretched his aching limbs, setting aside his pen and shooting the huge pile of paper a look that could kill. The war with the Rock had escalated during the last few days; and with the Yellow Flash and the Toad Sage busy with Hatake Kakashi's finding and rescue as well as the Snake Sannin's sudden departure, the Hidden Leaf was at the losing end of the war. He sighed again as he recalled what had occurred a bit over two weeks ago.

 _The Sandaime studied the two in front of him, his eyebrows well above his hairline. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing._

" _You mean to tell me that Kakashi-kun is missing?" the two nodded their heads as one, "And that Orochimaru is responsible for his disappearance?" The statement didn't seem any more believable than when they said it. He had had the feeling that his student wasn't his usual self. Nevertheless, he never could have imagined that he would kidnap a Leaf shinobi, a kid at that._

" _Sensei, we want to assemble a search party as soon as possible," his usually cheerful student said somberly, that was enough to convince Hiruzen that what was happening right now was undoubtedly real, "We were hoping you would have a couple of trackers to spare," The aging leader shook his head slightly._

" _There is a war going on outside the village's walls, Jiraiya, there aren't any available teams, and no trackers I can think of," Hiruzen rubbed his chin thoughtfully._

" _Isn't there anything you can do?" the Yellow Flash blurted, uncharacteristically frantic. He would be, too, Sarutobi thought, if the same thing had happened to one of his students._

" _I can give you two some time off, three weeks at most, to find him. Surely, the two of you can find him with Pakuun's help," He could tell both of them were hoping for more than that, yet they were at a time of war, and as the Hokage, he had to make tough decisions, such as this one, all the time. He gave them an encouraging smile as they exited his office._

Their time was running out, he noted. Already two weeks and five days had come and gone by and they still haven't reported anything new. He might have to call them back before the three weeks were over. Although Kakashi-kun's case must not be put aside, the Hokage found that he had no choice but to forbid any further searching by the end of the day. With a heavy heart, the Third grabbed his pen once more and resumed his work.

-oOo-

 _This is a waste of time._ Minato thought as he watched his sensei study the cave's walls with narrowed, tired eyes as though if he glared hard enough, the walls would unravel whatever secret they were hiding. He sighed as he weighed his options. He could leave this place and search elsewhere. However, that wouldn't accomplish anything either. They had no other leads on the Snake's whereabouts. Thus, the only thing they could do was try to discover something here. Needless to say, they weren't doing a very good job so far.

 _Maybe if the Hokage had decided to actually help us, we would have found Kakashi by now. We would have gotten him out of that secret hideout Orochimaru was keeping him in and would be well on our way back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves,_ he thought not for the first time since this retrieval attempt started.

His fingers dug into his skin hard. _I should try to help, too,_ a voice reverberated in his skull, _things would go much faster if I do._ Nonetheless, the Yellow Flash couldn't find the energy nor the motivation to stop brooding and start doing anything that might save his student. He had been an idiot at the beginning of this incident to think that they even had a chance of rescuing the last Hatake.

"Minato, I could use your help here," he dimly heard his teacher say, stifling a yawn as he did so, "Minato," his teacher's voice sounded desperate, yet he did not respond, "Minato!" The sharpness of the call caused him to spare the older shinobi a glance. Ah, so he was angry now? Well, the blond didn't think he had any right to be. He didn't care if he was acting like a spoiled brat as he pointedly looked away and settled for ignoring the other man once more.

His instincts screamed at him to dodge left. Never one to ignore his gut feeling, he obliged. The place he was in a few seconds prior was promptly smashed by a punch from the Toad Sage. Pakuun who had been taking a nap n the corner jumped with a whimper.

"What's going on?" the pug was ignored as the two famed ninja glared at each other from opposite ends of the cave.

"What do you think sitting there moping all day was going to prove, Minato?" Jiraiya asked, loudly enough to be reprimanding, "While you were brooding, I was trying to find something that could help us, you know," he said.

"It's hopeless, and you know it," Minato said in a low voice, "We've lost Kakashi forever. I've accepted that fact, why can't you?"

"Are you even hearing what you're saying? He's still alive," he said as he motioned towards the little dog, "We can still save him from whatever hell he's going through. We haven't lost him forever," he repeated sarcastically.

"Even if we do find him, what's the point?" the blond asked, "He'll probably be in too bad shape anyways, we won't be able to save him, we don't have a medic on the team," he pointed out, "You should stop lying to yourself and accept the fact that even if we do find him, there is no guarantee that he'll survive,"

"When did you become so pessimistic?"

"I'm not being pessimistic, I'm being realistic," Minato bit back. Jiraiya shook his head.

"Maybe if you get up and help me with this, we can finally figure this out. Or are you going to stay there moping forever, huh?" Jiraiya's gaze held so much disappointment that his pupil found himself unconsciously backing down, "Seems like I was wrong. You really don't want to help save Kakashi, do you?"

"Well, if you didn't go and get Kakashi wrapped up in this sick game with your crazy teammate, Kakashi wouldn't need saving in the first place!" Minato yelled the one thing that came to mind and the one thing that had been running through his mind nonstop since this all started. His breaths came out in shallow gasps and he felt as though he'd been running for days on end. Blue met black; the blue eyes held such deep anger and despair while the black ones held only sadness and guilt. It was Jiraiya who looked away first.

"If it's an apology you want so that you'd get working, then I'm sorry," he said in a low mutter that Minato struggled to hear him over his uneven breaths, "Now can you please come take a look at this?" Minato half-considered turning back and getting out of the cave then and there. Nonetheless, the possibility that what the Toad Sage was asking him to look at might actually be important pressed him to approach the exhausted ninja.

"What is it?" Jiraiya couldn't quite hide the satisfied smirk that threatened to adorn his face as he hurriedly pressed a palm to the cavern's wall.

"I've been trying to find something since we got here. I pushed some of my chakra into a lot of points in this wall, and finally, I got something," he said as he forced chakra into his palm and into the wall. Almost immediately, foreign letters shone on the wall. Minato studied the ethereal glow. It was obvious that it was some kind of seal. However, what seal exactly, Minato was drawing a complete blank.

"Any idea what it is?" he asked.

"I thought you'd be able to help with that," Jiraiya said as he shook his head, "I've never come across this one before in my life," The Yellow Flash, then, produced a scroll from his pack and proceeded to copy the glowing letters as accurately as possible. He didn't know why suddenly he was feeling this way. He didn't know why the feeling of hope that had diminished during the last two weeks abruptly reappeared. However, he gladly embraced it if only for the fact that this might get him closer to getting his student back. And when he did, he would make sure that the Snake Bastard would pay dearly for everything he had done.

-oOo-

It was almost time. They still weren't leaving, though. Soon, he would have to force his way out. He had initially thought that the Yellow Flash's uncharacteristic show of hopelessness and the Toad Sage's obvious exhaustion would compel the two to give up and come back another day, and thus, providing the Snake Sannin with the perfect opportunity to escape with the boy in hand. Nonetheless, he was thoroughly disappointed.

His ex-teammate had been searching the wall for any clues the whole night, according to his reptiles. They had also told him that he had discovered about the seal that kept the entrance to his hideout concealed. One of his smaller snakes slithered close to him. Ah, so the famed Yellow Flash had finally decided to cooperate, had he? Well, it was too late now. They couldn't possibly figure out the seal in half an hour and they would certainly need more than that to crack it. He chuckled as he shook his head; even if they do somehow manage to figure it out, they would be no match for him in their current weakened state. However, he must make the final preparations for his departure.

With that thought in mind, he grabbed a syringe full of a sedative. It wasn't a very powerful one, but it would do the trick. He enjoyed the startled yelp and the clear gulp he received as he opened the door.

"We're moving today, Kakashi-kun," he stated politely. The boy eyed the syringe in his hand, no doubt wondering whether the substance inside would cause him any pain or not. The Snake Sannin didn't give him any more time to scrutinize the transparent contents of the needle as he injected its contents into a blood vessel in the little boy's arm. He hanged around just enough to make sure the sedative took its course before he unstrapped the kid from his chains. He threw the small child over his shoulder as he exited the room, shutting the door as he went.

He took the familiar course to his private study. He double-checked that he had taken everything of importance and had previously burned everything that was insignificant. He made his way back to the entrance of the hideout. Already his best medic was waiting for him by the door as he demanded.

Before they opened the door, Orochimaru ordered his smallest summons to carry out their part of the plan. The summons instantly obeyed and all the duo had to do now was wait till noon finally struck. Once the designated time arrived, the medic disappeared and the Snake didn't waste any time before he opened the cave's entrance from the inside.

-oOo-

Nothing Minato came up with made sense. Just how much time did the Snake Bastard waste on making this seal? He could see that his sensei wasn't having much luck either as he tried to brainstorm a way to decipher the seal. He didn't know his teacher's ex-teammate had any expertise with seals. Apparently, he was wrong.

"Anything wrong, Pakuun?" he asked when the dog suddenly jumped.

"Thought I saw something," the pug muttered before lying down again. It was most probably just some small animal scurrying off into this seemingly safe cave.

Jiraiya, meanwhile, had had enough. Not even Minato for all his genius could find a solution to their current predicament. He decided to try one last way before getting back to try and solve the mystery of the letters.

"Open Sesame!" he yelled at the top of his lungs while standing in a dramatic pose. He didn't know why he was disappointed when it didn't work; it wasn't like he actually thought it would do the trick.

"Seriously, Sensei?" he gave the blond a wry smile. Desperate times called for desperate measures, his expression seemed to say. The younger ninja only responded by shaking his head. Well, at least he wasn't ignoring him anymore. They both glanced at the pug when he suddenly let out a whimper. What happened next, however, froze them both in their tracks.

Numbness coursed through Minato's veins as the puff of smoke dispersed to reveal an empty space where a pug used to stand. He could clearly hear his heart beating loudly in his chest that he was afraid it might pop out any second.

Jiraiya, however, felt like passing out. After all, Pakuun had just vanished, which could only mean one of two things; either the summon didn't have enough chakra to remain in their world or the summoner himself had run out of chakra, implying that he was dead. Jiraiya hoped that it was the former, for all their sakes.

It was safe to say that when the wall in front of them started to move and unlock, not even Minato was as surprised as Jiraiya was. The blond's dull blue eyes moved to the still-opening entrance of the hideout. As the person finally came into view, Minato heard himself growl menacingly as his eyes gained a renewed resolve. He set aside all feelings of anguish and sorrow. He would deal with all that later. Now, he would make sure that Kakashi's murderer would perish.

As he studied his enemy, Minato finally noticed the small figure tossed carelessly over his shoulder. _It's Kakashi,_ he narrowed his eyes as he tried to see the nonexistent rise and fall of the small chest, _he's gone._ The thought echoed over and over in his head that Minato didn't even feel his knees make contact with the ground as he fell. He stared at the ground that was now so close to him. He was crying, ( _but Sensei shinobi must never show their emotions in front of their enemies)_ , yet he couldn't care less because Kakashi was _gone_ , Kakashi was _dead_ , and now he was really _never_ coming back. He thought that he had come to terms with the idea of finding his only student dead. How wrong he was.

"Minato," his teacher's soothing voice from somewhere, "Minato, I know how you feel, but now is not the time," His eyes sluggishly looked up at the Toad Sage. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears, yet there was a certain light in them that made Minato push his grief aside… for the time being. With a nod, the Yellow Flash wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He kept his gaze on the sadistic Snake's sneering face, as far away from the little body on his shoulder as possible.

"Here's your brat back," The black-haired man had the audacity to speak, "He's no use to me dead," He tossed the six-year-old in their direction. Minato quickly ran forward and caught the dead body before it hit the ground. He was so small, so fragile, so, so… lifeless. Before he could have another breakdown, Minato promptly looked away from the body he now held. He walked to a corner and put his student down with the utmost care.

The Toad Sage finally jumped into action. He ran towards the other Sannin and attempted a kick to the head. He tried to force his tired muscles to work faster, but no matter how hard he tried to get them moving, the Snake was faster. His ex-teammate dodged the sluggish kick easily enough. Then, he proceeded with sending the larger man into the wall opposite them with a well-placed kick that the white-haired man was too slow to dodge. The Snake didn't get the chance to be satisfied before the younger shinobi attacked.

It was obvious that the blond's attacks were fueled by his rage. His punches were fast; his strikes almost hit their mark every time. Orochimaru found a hard time blocking his attacks and didn't have time to get one of his attacks in. Minato tried to force his enemy out of the cave. That way, he would be able to use ninjutsu freely, without fear of causing a cave in. With that thought in mind, Minato forced more strength into his attacks. He grinned to himself when he heard a few bones cracking. He didn't stop there, however. He quickly grabbed the Sannin's ankle, marked him and threw him out of the cave. Vaguely, he wondered why the battle was so easy, but he pushed that thought aside to worry about later.

He got his signature jutsu ready and flashed above the Sannin. He didn't give Orochimaru any time to dodge his Rasengan as he forced the blue ball down upon his adversary. He frowned when instead of hitting the Snake dead-on; his jutsu broke a log instead. _Substitution Jutsu,_ his mind helpfully provided. His frown deepened when he noticed that the pull at his chakra reserves due to the Rasengan was greater than it should be. He pushed that thought aside as well. Any thought that didn't have to do with getting rid of that pale-faced monster can wait until after he was done, he decided.

Since his opponent was already marked, locating him was no trouble. He flashed yet again to Orochimaru's location, but this time, he was intercepted with a well-aimed blow to his stomach. His momentum drove him backwards and it was all Minato could do to land on his feet. Once his feet touched the ground, the Yellow Flash got into his fighting stance and waited for his opponent's next move. Again, he noticed the noticeable tug at his chakra. Just what was happening to him? And why now of all times? If things kept going like this, he would soon pass out from chakra exhaustion. _All the more reason to end this quickly,_ he thought. He didn't flinch when the Toad Sage appeared beside him. He looked winded, but that was normal considering he had stayed up for more than two weeks straight.

"We have a problem, Minato," he said, his breath coming out in pants, "That's not Orochimaru,"

"What are you talking about, Sensei?"

"The style this person's been fighting with… it's not Orochimaru's fighting style," he clarified, "Orochimaru would never choose hand-to-hand combat when he could easily turn it into a ninjutsu match. Besides, all throughout your fight, he hasn't used any attacks with the help of snakes, has he?" It was true.

"Well, if he isn't Orochimaru, then who is he?" Jiraiya shrugged.

"I'm surprised you could figure it out at all," the Orochimaru look-alike spoke, "Maybe not really surprised, you are one of the Legendary Three, after all, alongside Orochimaru-sama," The two glared at the proxy but didn't interrupt, "I am merely a servant. My job is now done," Before either man could stop him, the substitute had taken out a kunai and struck his heart, killing himself instantly.

"That's too bad, we could have used him for interrogation," Jiraiya commented, "Let's go back to the village, Minato,"

"What about Kakashi?" the blond tried to keep his face impassive as he asked.

"I already sent him back with a toad," the larger man stooped to lift the corpse of their enemy.

"Orochimaru is still out there somewhere, he couldn't have gone far, we could still get him if we hurried," the Toad Sage shook his head.

"We're both too tired, physically and mentally to go look for him now. Besides," he paused, "I'm sure you noticed the tug at your chakra, too, right?" the younger ninja nodded almost imperceptibly, "We should go to the village, get a medic to take a look at us and then return to searching for Orochimaru. We still have two days till our deadline is up," Although Minato did not want to return to Konoha now, he could see the wisdom in his teacher's words.

Also, the detached tone that his sensei had used to speak made the blond accept his suggestion with a grunt. For some reason, he had a feeling that the Toad Sage's pain over their loss far exceeded his own. The road back to the village passed by uneventfully and once they passed the gates, the two parted ways, each with their own thoughts.

Minato wondered how long it would take to heal this wound, if it would ever heal at all. He wondered how long he'd crash at one of his friend's houses and how he'd always go out of his way in order not to pass close to the apartment he had shared with his first student.

Jiraiya calculated how long it'd take him to report all this to the Hokage. He wondered if old Sarutobi would send out an ANBU team to get rid of Orochimaru once and for all. He thought about the new title of his book. He vaguely wondered just where Tsunade might be and if she would feel up to grabbing a drink with him if he ever found her. All this he thought about to keep himself busy. However, one stray thought passed unbidden through his mind.

 _I'm so sorry, Sakumo… you trusted the wrong guy with your son's life._

 _And now just look what happened to him…_

 **Author's Notes:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I can't make any promises about next chapter, but don't worry, I'm not going to abandon this story!

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 5:**

 **Prescripto13:** I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless and please tell me how you felt about this chapter! It's really nice to hear from you :D

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge** **:** This chapter is not as sad as the previous chapter, right? I hope so XD What did you think of my attempt at writing a fighting scene? Was it really bad?

 **TheHaloFreak** **:** Your review made me smile :D I know they were all desperate and hopeless last chapter, huh? But at least this chapter, they recover somewhat, right? I actually didn't notice that I didn't include the scene with the Hokage; I actually thought I did, too. It's good thing you pointed it out!

 **juman1994** **:** I could not agree more. I hate Orochimaru, like _really_ hate him! The only good thing about him is that he brought back the Hokages for some time.

 **E** **laine Weasley** **:** You really made me blush, you know! I love Kakashi/Minato fanfics too, and I have a feeling I've read each and every one of them found on this site XD Don't worry, as I said before, this fic will never be abandoned, but updating regularly is not a promise I can keep due to school and whatnot. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

 **Bindi-fox** **:** I know how you feel and I'm sorry for the late update XD Last chapter was really sad, but at least the emotions in that chapter reached you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Good luck with the great adventure we call life ;)

 **Is Kakashi really dead? What do you guys think? I can't decided whether I want this story to exceed ten chapters or not. What do you think? I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter, so please review! You might be confused a bit by this chapter, but hopefully, everything will be cleared up in the next chapter! Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** Check this out! A speedy update! Why you ask? It's because my terms are finally over! Aren't you all just so overjoyed? I'm sure you are… Now, remember when I said Kushina is going to make an appearance in this story? Well, here she is! (Minato/Kushina is heavily implied.) Now enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!

 **Chapter 7**

As the Yellow Flash made his way to the hospital, he felt oddly lost. He didn't know what he was going to do from now on. He didn't have a student anymore to teach new tricks and important stuff that could've saved his life. No more did he have an adopted son to force into the park and laugh when all he did was glare at the other kids. His life without Kakashi in it felt like a lifetime ago that Minato had trouble remembering what he used to do without the little kid.

He blinked once. He had reached the hospital. With a heavy sigh, the blond entered the domed building. The medics were fast to diagnose his case. Poison, they said, latched onto his chakra and sucked it like a mosquito sucking blood. Minato didn't know why he wasn't surprised. Or maybe he did. He was dealing with a Bastard Snake, but a Snake, nonetheless. They gave him the antidote and told him he was alright to go, he didn't have any other serious injuries and didn't need to stay.

Thus, Minato walked aimlessly through the village streets. The busy stalls around him and the hundreds of people talking animatedly to each other gave the shinobi village an almost serene and cheerful atmosphere.

Minato hated it. It seemed to him like the crowd around him had made it their lives' mission to mock him in his time of grief. Kakashi was gone, but that little girl was enjoying a strawberry ice cream. Kakashi was never coming back, yet that old man was laughing like he didn't have a care in the world. He had lost one of his most precious people, and yet, everyone around him didn't seem to care.

He shook his head as if to clear it and decided to focus on another thought instead. _Just where am I going to stay?_ Names quickly popped up in his mind, but all of them were just as hastily scratched. He needed to go somewhere he would feel comfortable. He had to find someone who would always hear him out, no matter what he said. He needed someone to be there for him when he ultimately broke down. Like a beacon in the sea, only one person's name shone in his mind's eye.

 _Kushina._

With thoughts of a warm hug and an understanding gaze filling his mind, he set off to the fiery woman's house. Somehow, deep down, he knew that if anyone in the whole world could understand what he was going through, it would be Kushina. He held the belief that of all people, Kushina would be the only one who would be able to put him back together after he gets torn to pieces.

Minato didn't know what came over him as he rushed to her house. Something warm coursed through his veins at the very thought of seeing Kushina, like she would be able to somehow flip the situation and make it alright just like she always does. Perhaps she'll be able to finally wake him up from this nightmare he was living through. She'll wake him up and whisper that it was just a bad dream over and over again, long after Minato got tired of hearing it.

Once he was at her door, he didn't hesitate to knock. A few seconds passed, and then seconds turned to minutes. He knocked again. Minutes lengthened into an hour before he finally remembered.

 _Kushina… she's away on a mission._

" _Hey! Minato!" a boisterous voice reached him as he made his way into the village after a long mission, "Wait up, dattebane!" He obliged immediately; he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero's infamous rampages._

" _Good morning, Kushina," the kunoichi didn't even bother to return his greeting before she started talking._

" _I'm going on a mission, dattebane!" she started and Minato found himself vaguely wondering how one can be so energetic in the morning, "That's why I need you to water my plants for a while, about two or three weeks," she didn't let him get a word in before she shoved a key, presumably her apartment's key, in his face and ran off to meet her squad._

 _With a shake of his head, Minato tucked the key securely away in one of his pockets. He didn't think Kushina, of all people, would be interested in growing plants, but he made a mental note to water them nonetheless. He didn't want to risk Kushina's wrath if the plants died under his supervision._

Then, he found out about Kakashi's kidnapping. Needless to say, he never did remember to water them. He crossed his fingers as he rummaged in his pockets for the key. A couple of minutes later, he found the key and had opened the door. He shut the door behind him quietly. Just because Kushina wasn't home didn't mean that he couldn't stay. She was the one who gave him the key, he argued. Besides, there was no way he was going to go back to their (now only his) house.

He shuffled to the kitchen then filled the watering can he found by the sink with water before making his way to the windowsill. He grimaced when he laid eyes on the dry, decaying sprouts that must have been vibrant green once upon a time. Under normal circumstances, he was sure that Kushina would kill him. However, maybe this time, she'll make an exception.

He watered the obviously dead plants anyways. Now, he could actually say that he watered them and stuck to Kushina's orders. He made himself comfortable in his friend's house and waited.

With some luck, Kushina would be home soon.

-oOo-

Jiraiya's feet took the familiar path to the Hokage Tower. The weight on his shoulders was heavy but didn't hinder him in the least. It wasn't long before he entered the tower and made his way up to his sensei's office. He ignored the secretary and didn't bother with knocking before he opened the door and shut it closed behind him.

The Hokage took one look at his student's frowning face and quickly ushered the team that had just returned to the village outside of the office. Their report could be given at a later date. However, something told him that what his student had to say was important. A nagging feeling at the back of his skull whispered that he wasn't going to like whatever it was his student came to say. When it was clear that Jiraiya wasn't going to start talking, he took the initiative to start the conversation.

"Jiraiya," Hiruzen started, "What is it? Did you find anything new about Kakashi?" He kept his voice calm and gentle as he eyed the corpse slung over his student's shoulders. It was a few minutes before the Toad Sage nodded. Years of practice kept the Sarutobi from jumping up from his chair and shaking the man while yelling at him to just spit it out already.

"Kakashi… he's…" Jiraiya looked away. Seeming to suddenly remember his shinobi training, he cleared his throat before he spoke emotionlessly, "Hatake Kakashi is dead. One of my toads is bringing his body," he paused, his eyes were glassy but the Sarutobi did not comment, "This guy," he said as he finally let down the person he was carrying, "was helping Orochimaru. Once things got a bit rough, he ended his own life, but I thought I'd bring back his body regardless,"

"Yes, thank you, Jiraiya," the Hokage motioned for one of the ANBU to take the body for analysis. Once the ANBU had taken care of that, Hiruzen looked back at his student, "Let's go out for a while. I could use some fresh air," he said as he stood up and walked to the door, his hands behind his back. He had quite a few things he had to get done, a lot of documents that needed to be signed, missions that had to be assigned to teams. However, it was obvious that Jiraiya needed someone, now more than ever. As his sensei, Hiruzen felt a certain responsibility to be that someone.

He smiled at the tired man and led him out of the office and into the evening's cool air. He took Jiraiya to a secluded area of the village, surrounded by tall trees and lush grass. He sat down, his muscles protesting and patted the space beside him. Jiraiya hesitantly took a seat next to him.

"It's going to be a nice night, isn't it?" The Sannin didn't know just how the Sarutobi was able to smile freely and chat jovially after he'd learnt what had happened. Did he not care about Kakashi?

"I do care about Kakashi, Jiraiya," he had not even realized that he had spoken out loud.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job of showing it," he snapped.

"I wasn't as close to Kakashi as you were, Jiraiya, and I know you've got a lot on your mind. If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen," his teacher offered. He didn't even think before he started talking.

"I promised… I _promised_ him, Sensei!" the Sarutobi could easily guess who it was Jiraiya was referring to, "I promised him, but I couldn't even… I couldn't even keep that promise. I couldn't even protect just one kid," the older man put an arm around his student's shoulders, rubbing him soothingly as he cried, "But I couldn't… I couldn't stand to be around Kakashi. He looked too much like Sakumo, it was painful," the white-haired man's breaths came out like pants, "And the one time, the one time, I try to get in touch with my best friend's kid, I end up killing him instead," Sarutobi hugged the larger man close as one would hold a child in distress. He could do nothing but whisper sweet nothingness to the man who lost not only a precious person but the memory of his best friend as well.

-oOo-

Kushina pursed her lips into a thin line when her team was forced out of the Hokage's office. She vaguely saw Jiraiya before she continued her way out of the room. The glimpse she had of the Sannin left her in agony or in shock, she didn't know which. His usually goofy, grinning face was somber. His broad shoulders were hunched and his eyes downcast. She hoped that whatever it was that had gotten him in such a state wasn't all that serious, but she knew that was wishful thinking.

She pushed thoughts of the Toad Sage aside as her destination came into view. She decided she would ask Minato about Jiraiya. She knocked on the door and waited. When there was no response for over a half minute, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero lived up to her nickname as she kicked down the door, scaring a nearby cat as she did so.

"Minato! Where are you, dattebane?!" she entered the apartment without any further ado and was surprised when she didn't find the Yellow Flash anywhere, "Maybe he's at one of the training grounds with Kakashi," she thought aloud. With a shake of her head, Kushina exited the apartment and wondered what she'd do. She could go to the training grounds and look for Minato there, but she didn't feel like going all the way there. Thus, she decided she'd go to her place and break down the door, too. Then, she will order Minato to repair both his and her doors as compensation for not being around when she needed her key back. Mind made up, Kushina put the door back up as much she could before setting off towards home.

-oOo-

Minato's eyelids were slowly but surely sliding closed. He had lain down on the soft couch as he waited for Kushina to return but his exhaustion had decided to make itself known abruptly. He was just getting ready to give in to sleep when the door was knocked off of its hinges. That woke him up quite effectively. He was ready in a fighting stance before his brain fully processed what was going on.

"Oh Minato! What are you doing here, dattebane?" the Uzumaki asked seeming astonished to see him there at all, "You were watering my plants, right? I knew I asked the right person to do it for me, dattebane!" Minato just blinked dazedly at her back as she made her way to the windowsill, to check on her precious plants no doubt. If Minato's brain was still foggy even after the door got knocked down, it became highly attentive as the high-pitched scream reached his ears. He had half the nerve to dodge the first punch.

"Any last words, dattebane?!" the red-haired woman's voice was threatening as she held the pot of dead plants in her hands.

"I'm sorry?" he said, but it came out more as a question. Something in his voice must have alerted Kushina because one second she was screaming bloody murder with the pot in her hands and the next she was holding his hand in hers and seating him back on the sofa.

"Everything okay, dattebane?" she asked worriedly, "Where's Kakashi-kun, by the way? Is he off training somewhere? I swear that kid is going to bring death upon himself if he keeps going on like that, dattebane," Minato stared at her hands holding his and noticed a drop of a certain liquid fall on them. He didn't know when he started crying but he had. As he thought she would, Kushina didn't judge him, didn't rush him. She simply embraced him, stroking his back comfortingly. He clutched her petite body in his arms so hard he was sure he was going to break something. However, if she was in any sort of pain, she didn't say anything.

"What happened, Minato?" The lack of a 'dattebane' at the end of her question betrayed how worried she really was. Kushina thought she had good reason to be concerned, too. First, she saw Jiraiya looking anything but his usual self; then, she comes home to find a distraught Minato, whose arms were currently strangling the life out of her. Nevertheless, she felt that Minato needed this right now and so let him hold onto her for as long as he needed. She felt more than heard him expand his lungs and let out a breath slowly.

"Minato, please tell me what happened," she demanded softly for once. _That's right,_ Minato thought, _Kushina doesn't know…_

"Kakashi's gone," He stated rather abruptly. Kushina didn't stop her hands from continuing to draw circles on his back.

"He's a Chunin, he's going to go on missions without you every now and then, dattebane," She knew that he didn't mean that Kakashi was away from the village. Minato wouldn't be this distressed if that were the case, for starters. However, that was what she wanted to believe, so that was what she said. She knew that the blond knew that, too.

"He's not just gone, Kushina," Minato said, "He's gone, _gone_ ," Maybe if she could pretend she hadn't heard him, it would seem less real. Tears sprang up to her eyes at the very thought of the small six-year-old never coming back. She couldn't even begin to understand it, but the little Hatake had somehow managed to earn a place in her heart.

" _Hey, Kakashi-kun!" she called, "Come on, I need your help, dattebane!" She didn't give the kid a chance to respond before she gripped his arm and pulled him along. His smaller body couldn't even resist against the death hold she had on his arm. Realizing that, he tried to keep up with her longer strides and wondered just what is was that the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero would need his help with._

" _What do you need help with, Kushina-san?" Ever the serious one, he asked._

" _I'm looking for a cat," she replied without even thinking._

" _A cat? What does it look like?" he was starting to get annoyed, she could tell. She inwardly grinned and congratulated herself. Irritating Kakashi was her mission that day. Not five minutes into it and she had already started making progress. She couldn't be any prouder of herself than she was._

" _I don't know yet, dattebane," she said while shaking her head, "I want a pet cat, you see,"_

" _Well, why don't you just go to a pet shop and get one?" Kushina shook her head again._

" _I don't want any of the cats at the pet shop. They're all pampered and stuff," her grin was feral-like as she said, "I want a wild one," He sighed wholeheartedly but Kushina didn't pay that any mind. Maybe if she'd turn this into a mission of sorts, Kakashi would not try to escape at the first chance he gets. With that thought in mind, she stated with authority, "Hatake Kakashi, I am assigning you this mission as a superior Jonin. Bring me the cutest, wildest cat you can find," she continued, "And if you fail, you shall be punished, dattebane!" It was clear that Kakashi didn't think of it as a real mission. However, it was also obvious that he dreaded whatever punishment she came up with. 'He should be,' she thought as she once again congratulated herself for a job well done._

" _Oh, one more thing," she decided to make this more interesting, "You have three chances. I'll be at the park the whole time, so once you have a possible candidate, come meet me there. Ready? Dispatch, dattebane!" Kushina made her way to the park and started plotting the penalty she was going to deal out. The whole point of her mission after all, was to annoy Kakashi, and there was no way the mission she assigned him was going to be a success._

 _Kakashi, on other hand, had other thoughts. He had to succeed in this mission no matter what. He couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors that would await him if he shall fail. With that thought in mind, Kakashi sprinted off to find a suitable cat._

 _A few hours later found Kushina walking towards her favorite restaurant. It was definitely one of the best days of Kushina's life. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought. Every day she could go out to get some ramen was one of the best days she had ever lived. However, this time it was different. This time she was dragging along someone with her. This someone, no matter how small he is, was annoyed for some reason or the other. Thus, Kushina was doing two of her favorite pastimes; she was irritating another person while getting ramen. How cool was that?_

" _Kushina-san, I don't see why I have to come," the little brat whined for the umpteenth time, "Ramen is not even healthy. Too much of it can cause a stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, high blood pressure as well as heart disease," The red-haired woman vaguely wondered if the kid had eaten an encyclopedia recently but shoved the thought aside for later contemplation when the ramen stand came into view._

" _You have to come because I said so, and this is your punishment for failing the mission, dattebane!" she argued as she grabbed his arm and pulled him with her, "Besides, you're most probably only going to finish a bowl or two, which isn't too much, dattebane!" She ignored the roll of the eyes and the almost inaudible sigh and pushed the boy into a seat._

" _Two bowls of miso ramen please. As quickly as you can, dattebane!" the shop owner, who knew her by heart by now, started working on their order immediately. Kushina met Kakashi's glare with an innocent, too-bright smile._

" _Why do you like ramen so much?"_

" _Does everything need a reason?" she countered before shaking her head in mock hurt, "I just felt like eating ramen right now," The Hatake only raised an eyebrow. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but their respective bowls arrived at that moment._

" _Thanks!" Kushina yelled before instantly inhaling her ramen. She watched the kid from the corner of her eye, trying to get a glimpse of the face underneath._

" _Would you like another bowl, Kushina-san?" the shop owner asked her politely._

" _Yes, please, dattebane!" Kushina shouted back and turned to give him a grateful smile. The time it took her to turn and answer was the only time Kakashi needed to swallow his ramen and return the mask over his face. Kushina inwardly groaned. She really was just curious. Well, she'll have to invite him to lunch another time._

" _Still hungry?" Kakashi shook his head._

" _Can I go now?" Kakashi's voice was bordering on desperate and pleading that Kushina actually considered letting him go. This idea lasted for all but a second before it was promptly shoved aside, locked in a box and thrown away. If Kakashi hated her that much, then he was going to have to find a way to survive going to the festival with her. And she was not letting him go until the last drunk had returned to his or her house. Just imagine how annoyed the pint-sized shinobi would be if she made him go with her…_

 _A mirthful grin formed on her face and she enjoyed the look of unconcealed panic that crossed the kid's features (what she could see of them, at least). Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when a certain blond made his way into the small shop._

" _Hello, Kushina, Kakashi," Minato greeted, "I'm sorry, Kushina, but I'm going to have to take Kakashi now," the little brat jumped up from his chair and exited the shop a little too quickly if Kushina were to say so herself, "I wonder why he's in such a hurry," Kushina smiled innocently._

" _I have no idea,"_

This event was one of many in which Kushina had decided to annoy Kakashi to no end. The blond and the red hair must have sat there for hours, each weeping to their heart's content. Their sobs soon died out and their forms hunched on the couch. Soon, they were both asleep.

-oOo-

The medic in charge frowned as he looked over the young boy a toad had brought in quite a while ago. It didn't take him long to realize that this boy was dead. However, a few hours into the analysis, he had noticed something out of the ordinary. Once things became clear to him, he quickly went to report to the Hokage. He had to tell the village leader of his findings at once.

The next morning, Jiraiya and Minato were summoned to the Hokage's office. Apparently, he had very important news about Kakashi. Minato wondered whether this was about the funeral that was going to be held soon as he went out of Kushina's apartment. The Uzumaki, having insisted on tagging along, locked the door behind them and the two quickly made their way to the Hokage's office.

Once they were there, it was obvious that the Sarutobi was initially surprised to see Kushina, but his surprise vanished almost instantly. His face took on a cheerful mien as he graced each of them with a long look. They each wondered how he could be so happy when he was about to tell them about the specifics of a dead kid's funeral.

"I have good news," Hiruzen started, "The body you brought back… it wasn't Hatake Kakashi's body,"

-oOo-

Orochimaru was on the run again. He was disappointed that he had to sacrifice his medic, but considering that the sacrifice was needed for him to escape, unnoticed, with the brat's unconscious form, he thought that it was worth it. A mere medic could be easily replaced. However, it wasn't every day that he came across interesting test subjects such as the one he had with him.

His plan was fairly easy that he thought that it wouldn't work at the beginning. However, once his summons were able to inject their poison into their targets and the dog had dissipated, Orochimaru thought it was too good to be true. Once Kakashi's summon had vanished, the two famed shinobi had assumed the worst, which in turn made it simple to trick them into thinking that the body his substitute threw at them was indeed Hatake Kakashi's. Once the Yellow Flash had taken the fight outside and Jiraiya had summoned a toad to take the corpse before going out himself, Orochimaru had taken flight. He made sure to remain hidden as not to attract any unwanted attention and was now well on his way far from the village. He knew that the duo wouldn't bother with following him after his proxy died since they would finally notice their waning chakra. Their alarm would cause them to go back to the village to figure out what was going on, giving Orochimaru enough time to get to his new hideout.

After a tediously long run, his new hideout was coming into view; he could just make it out over the horizon. He was pleased that this one was much better protected than the one he had sought refuge in before. The seals around this new hideout were much more advanced, and if the old one had given the two assumed seal masters a lot of trouble, then there was no way they could get through the defenses he had set up around this hideout.

In fact, they wouldn't even be able to find the place. Unlike the cave he was in before, this hideout was built underground. It was the best one he had ever built and was a few ways off Konoha. He also made sure to conceal his chakra and scent. Now that Sarutobi-sensei would most probably declare him a missing-nin, it was more likely that an ANBU team with trained trackers would be sent out to eliminate him. He couldn't, _wouldn't_ lose his newest experiment if he could help it.

The kid stirred, the sedative most probably starting to lose effect. This only served to make the Snake move even faster. If the kid started struggling now, it would be highly probable that some chakra would leak and stay behind. He should be careful. Any amount of chakra, no matter how small, would be enough to alert his pursuers.

And Orochimaru wasn't taking any chances. Not when the stakes were so high.

 **Author's Notes:** I didn't include the specifics of the mission that Kushina assigned Kakashi, but if you want to know about it, just say so in a review or in a pm. And if enough people ask for it, I'll post it as a side story, which will most likely be titled, 'A Quest for Cats'.

 **SilverSapphire34523** **:** You're a hundred percent correct! Even I started hoping that he does :P

 **juman1994** **:** Did I mention just how much I hate Orochimaru? Well, I do. He definitely ruins everything.

 **Prescripto13** **:** You're right! That was his plan from the very beginning. That's how I picture Orochimaru to be, a deceiving sadist, do you agree?

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge** **:** Thanks! Is there a chance? I guess the chapter answered your question, huh? ;) What about this one? Is it still sad? I really tried to make some parts of it light-hearted, though… forgive me if it didn't work out.

 **Elaine Weasley** **:** I could never kill Kakashi if I wanted to (fan girl alert), but that doesn't matter does it? Maybe he'll be saved only to die at the very end of the very last chapter… but then it'd be hard for me to make a sequel to the sequel.

 **If I were to ever write a sequel to this story about the effect of the things that happened here on the Naruto world as we know it, would you read it? Please reply to this.**

 **Now since I was very nice, wrote a long chapter and updated in just four days, will you be extra nice too and review? XD**

 **Thanks for everyone who read/reviewed/followed/favorited this story and I hope you enjoy the rest of it. Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** Here's a big thank you to everyone who has read, followed or added this story to their favorites. This is a longer chapter than before, but I probably won't be able to update for while. So take this as an early New Year's gift!

 **Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!

 **Chapter 8**

The Sannin's face contorted into a deep frown as he closed yet another door. After years of neglect, the objects in his hideout were barely useable. The rooms reeked heavily of a certain stench, as if thousands of beings had died in that place underground. He vaguely wondered why he had abandoned this place for so long when he saw a metal shackle, which doubtlessly used to be tough years ago, eaten away by rust. So far, he was only able to find two rooms that had the most basic things he needed. He was glad that he had found a fully functional metal slab just like the one he had in his old hiding place. He had deposited the unconscious body of his newest experiment in one of them and securely strapped him to the slab. He found that the door's lock was broken, though. He didn't let that deter him; the kid would probably be too frightened to get off of the slab, so he wouldn't be able to try the door.

With that thought in his mind, he moved on to more pressing matters. He hadn't had the time to bring along food and water since he was in a hurry. Moreover, due to the fact that he didn't want any trackers to trail him when he goes out to bring the essentials, he had to go out personally, without the use of a henge or a clone; he simply couldn't risk using any chakra to create a clone or put himself under a henge. He wouldn't even be able to leave a clone with the kid. Nevertheless, that didn't matter. He couldn't give the brat another dose of sedative so soon after the first in fear of provoking his death. He hoped the metal that somehow passed for shackles would hold out until he returned from the nearest village as he concealed his chakra and left the hideout.

-oOo-

"What?" Jiraiya was the first to partially recover from their shock, "You mean Kakashi… he's still alive?" the Toad Sage couldn't quite keep the hope and accompanying joy from highlighting his tone. The Hokage shook his head in the affirmative.

"It is our belief that Kakashi-kun is still with Orochimaru," the Sarutobi stated, but before any of them could talk, he continued, "However, I forbid the three of you from partaking in Kakashi-kun's retrieval," Hiruzen fought back a shudder when the killing intent belonging to three formidable shinobi was directed at him, but he didn't buckle. Instead, he glared right back. None of his three most stubborn ninja backed down, but they knew that his word was final. And in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Sarutobi Hiruzen's word was law.

"I assure you, Kakashi-kun will not be abandoned. I will assemble a search party as soon as possible,"

"Why can't we be part of that team, Hokage-sama, dattebane?" the hot-tempered kunoichi asked grouchily before anyone else could talk.

"Your skills are needed elsewhere," he replied simply, patiently. However, it was obvious that it wasn't enough for any of them.

"It won't take us long to find and rescue Kakashi when we have seasoned trackers on our side," Jiraiya spoke first.

"Hokage-sama, please, you must put us on that team," that was Minato, "Surely, you understand our position. What if it were one of your students who was captured at such a young age?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, the father and teacher, would have permitted them all to go and look for the kid right then and there. Nevertheless, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of the Leaf, could not send three of his top shinobi at the cost of losing the war against Iwa.

"I am sorry, you three. I completely understand where you're coming from," he said sullenly, "But the fact stands that Konoha is losing the war. I am confident that sending you three out there will uplift our shinobis' morale and thus raise the probability of winning the war," he paused for a second as the three processed the information, "As Jonin of the Leaf, you must know where your duties lie," None of them looked happy after his little speech, but he figured that they could tolerate that much at least for the village's sake.

"Can we join the search party after we come back?" Minato asked as he let out a loud breath.

"If Kakashi-kun isn't brought back by then, you are free to do whatever you want,"

"You say 'by then' as if it's a really long while," Jiraiya commented.

"I'm afraid that 'by then' I mean by the end of the war,"

"You can't be serious, dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed at full volume, having lost control over her anger, "Kakashi-kun is somewhere out there with that traitorous Snake, and you expect us to go to the front lines for that long, dattebane?! Never mind the fact that we can't go for God knows how long into that death zone without losing our minds, we wouldn't be able to focus or win the war anyways, dattebane, because we'll be too worried thinking about Kakashi-kun, dattebane! How is that a good option, dattebane?!" By the exaggerated use of 'dattebane' in her mini-speech, Minato knew that his love interest was definitely riled up if not that close to utterly losing her temper.

"The war is at its climax. If we play our cards right, it won't be long before it ends. My word is final," the Hokage calmly stated, clearly choosing to ignore Kushina's words, "You leave in an hour. Please be ready for this mission. The village's future rests upon your shoulders," Grumbling under her breath but knowing that it was useless to argue, Kushina exited the office first. Minato shared a look with his sensei before he got out of the office as well. Jiraiya looked at his teacher like a kicked puppy, the same one he used as a kid when things weren't going his way, before following the couple outside.

The Sarutobi rested his head on his folded arms and rubbed his temples. He hated doing this to anyone, especially when a loved one's life was at risk. However, many more lives would be endangered if he didn't send those three out immediately. And as the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew where his responsibilities lie.

He just hoped that the team he had sent out would be able to save Kakashi-kun. They weren't ANBU, most of them were sent out into the war after all, but they were all trackers, very good ones at that. With a heavy sigh, Hiruzen went back to work. He had a meeting with the elders after which he had to announce his very own student a missing-nin not to mention the tremendous amount of paperwork that came with being Hokage during a war. Yes, Sarutobi was simply overjoyed.

-oOo-

Kakashi groaned loudly as consciousness came back to him. His eyes slowly blinked open and he immediately noticed the change in the room. He bit back another groan. Just like Orochimaru-sama had said, they had moved to another place. He hoped that this new unsavory turn of events wouldn't stop the blond he had somehow vaguely remembered back in the old hideout from rescuing him. As his mind cleared somewhat, he was hit by a wave of confusion.

 _Where is Orochimaru-sama?_

Before they had come here, he had always woken up and the sound of the door opening to reveal Orochimaru quickly followed. Thus, waking up alone and with no telltale signs of anyone coming anytime soon was enough to puzzle the boy. _Is it possible that I'm actually alone? That Orochimaru is not here?_ The thought gave him a sense of ease and somewhere deep inside, the word _escape_ repeated over and over again.

 _Orochimaru-sama might be here… maybe he's just asleep or something. Or he could be eating. If he's here and I try to escape…_ Kakashi shuddered at the thought, _but if he's not here and I don't try to escape… I might never get out of this place. Who knows? That blond man may never come and get me._ He shook the shackles tying him; they were big for his tiny hands. He was sure that if he tried, he could squeeze them through. He rolled his hands a bit before focusing on his right hand. If he could get one out, he could free the other one, too. _No, I can't… What if I do get out of here and then get caught? That would be very bad._ His attempts seized instantly. _But if I don't at least try to get out, I might stay here for the rest of my life._

With opposing thoughts coursing through his mind, Kakashi was at a loss. What was he supposed to do? On one hand, if Orochimaru were here or he got caught, the consequences would be terrible if not downright dreadful. However, on the other hand, if Orochimaru really wasn't here and he kept still, he might never get another chance like this ever again and would most likely remain a test subject until the day he died.

Kakashi wasn't particularly fond of the life he was living now. Whether he tried to escape or not, he would be abused and tested upon. However, if his escape attempt was a success, he would get out of all this.

The Hatake bit his bottom lip as he studied the shackles in concentration. _Just a bit more…_ After a few tries and one strong pull, his right hand was out. With the same strong will, he freed his left hand. With both of his hands free, it was relatively easy to get his ankles out of their restraints as well. His legs buckled under his weight once he jumped down from the metal slab. He shakily stood up and supported himself on the slab. How could he even hope to escape Orochimaru's clutches if he couldn't even stand up on his own? Something tingled at the back of his mind. He was convinced that at a time like this, someone or something would appear and help him. How the thing appeared was beyond him and no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't seem to remember anything more about it.

He contemplated getting back onto the metal slab and locking himself back in the shackles. That ridiculous idea was quickly shot down though. He shook his head as he put together all the strength he could into forcing his numb legs to work. They threatened to collapse underneath his weight and sheer willpower alone forced him to take a step forwards. He never could have thought that such a long time without walking would cause him this much trouble. It felt like he was pulling weights with him as he walked. Gradually though, and as he reached the door, his legs stopped feeling like dead weight and the task of walking was getting easier.

 _Almost there._ He thought resolutely when the door was within arm's reach. He stretched his legs out a bit and heard a few cracks. He could still go on. He put a hand on the metal handle of the door and paused for a couple heartbeats. _Should I really get away? Can I do it? Maybe… maybe I shouldn't… I'll just go back and wait for Orochimaru-sama._ He quickly retracted his hand from the handle as if burned. He took a few backward steps away from the door. What horrid things lay behind that door anyways? He probably wasn't ready to go outside yet. Perhaps he should wait for that rescue team that might never be coming in the first place.

With a nod, he turned back to return to his slab. Walking back to it was much easier than walking away from it, he noticed. He took it as a good omen. He was probably doing the correct thing by going back. _Are you really?_ A traitorous voice resounded from within him. _Are you really going to stay here and undergo whatever inhumane tests Orochimaru has in store when you have such a great chance at escape?_ Kakashi had half the mind to snap back an irritable affirmative answer. _The door is right there._ With a heavy sigh, the young ninja made up his mind.

-oOo-

Jiraiya was beyond furious. Just how could his sensei do something like that to them? How could he get their hopes up only to forbid them from acting to save Sakumo's son? He let out a loud breath. He yelped aloud when something started forcibly dragging him.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong with you? Where are you taking me?" His captor only shushed him and hurried to a shadowy alley.

"Why did you yell that high, dattebane? I was trying to secretly get you here, dattebane!" His captor, also known as one Uzumaki Kushina, said in a low hiss as she stepped on his foot. Jiraiya yelled in pain while holding his aching foot and he was shushed again by a different person.

"What do you want, Kushina, Minato?" the Toad Sage asked simultaneously letting go of his foot.

"We're going after Kakashi," His student said determinedly.

"Didn't you hear what the old man had to say?" he snorted, "It was only five minutes ago that we've all heard it but it seems that you've forgotten already, so I'll do you a favor and remind you, we aren't allowed to join the team,"

"We're fully aware of that, dattebane!" Kushina said all too cheerfully, "But Minato came up with a plan! Tell him, dattebane!" With a nod, the Namikaze fingered a three-headed kunai. Its weird design instantly struck a bell in Jiraiya's mind. _It's Minato's special kunai._

"The three of us are alone on the same team, right?" he started, "So, here's what we're going to do. Each of us is going to create a clone and I will hand each of them one of my special kunai," he said, "The clones are going to leave to get to the front lines while we're going to go after the team Hokage-sama is going to send to rescue Kakashi," Minato finished with a satisfied smile.

"Minato… are you an idiot?" Jiraiya asked seriously, "The clones aren't going to trick anyone… and what do we do if the clones are attacked?"

"I never said that the clones were going to be the ones leaving Konoha," Minato replied, "The real us are going to leave in an hour as a team. Then, somewhere along the way, we produce the clones and hand them the kunai. If the clones are intercepted by the enemy, my clone will use his kunai and I'll get there in a flash. It won't take long for me to knock out our assailants even if I am alone. Once our clones are close to the front lines, I'll get us there, and even if two out of three of the clones dissipate, it won't matter since we only need one to get to the front lines and teleport via my special kunai,"

"Doesn't your jutsu have a certain range after which it won't work? And who's to say that not all the clones will dissipate? Besides, if the Hokage finds out about this we're doomed! Minato, this plan is filled with far too many holes for my liking," the oldest of the three remarked truthfully as he crossed his arms.

"We're both willing to take the risk for Kakashi-kun's sake, dattebane. Won't you do the same?" the only female in the group asked. Jiraiya closed his eyes as he thought. The plan was far too risky, that was a truth. However, if it did indeed work and they were able to follow the team sent after Kakashi, they could provide help when it was needed at any given time and thus hurry the task of finding Kakashi. With a heavy sigh, Jiraiya nodded.

"Do you at least know who you're going to follow?" With an ear-to-ear grin, Kushina nodded.

"They're leaving at the same time we are but are going to wait for us to leave before heading out. The team consists of an Aburame, an Inuzuka and a Hyuga, all Chunin level, as well as a Jonin leader, he's specialized in tracking and hand-to-hand combat, he's from a civilian family, though, dattebane!" Jiraiya incredulously studied the kunoichi.

"Do I even want to know how you knew all that?"

"I'll tell you anyways, dattebane! A friend of mine happens to be the Jonin's sister. Apparently, he got his mission orders in the morning and is probably new to the whole confidential business since he kept talking about it during breakfast according to her. She probably didn't know that she shouldn't tell me about his mission because she's a civilian, but that worked well, right, dattebane?"

"So the Hokage sent three Chunins and a low-Jonin shinobi to face off against Orochimaru? Has he finally gone insane?!" Jiraiya made sure to keep his voice down but conveyed his anger clearly.

"Well, three Chunins, a low-Jonin shinobi and two well-known ninja, now," Minato commented with a wry smile.

"Make that three well-known ninja," The three shared a smile before each headed off to get ready for their missions, both their official and unofficial ones.

-oOo-

Orochimaru walked down the almost empty streets of the rundown village. On his numerous missions outside the Leaf Village, he had only passed by this small area but had never lingered. He had thought that there was nothing worth stopping for here, especially during the war, and he was right. However, as circumstances would have it, this was the nearest village to his hideout. Moreover, he couldn't go any further than this. The sedative's effect was already waning when he had left; it was only a matter of time before the Hatake woke up.

However, he could barely find any usable metal in the village. He would have to make do with the ones he already had. He was glad that he wasn't facing the same problem with food since that was swiftly provided by both hunting and buying from the village. He readjusted the cloak hiding his features as his eyes scanned the items in front of him. Again, he couldn't find anything small enough for a brat.

The shopkeeper frowned as he exited the shop empty-handed but Orochimaru couldn't care any less. He decided to go to the river close by to refill his bottles. With that thought in mind, he pulled his carriage, which he had bought since he couldn't put all that food in a scroll without leaving a considerable amount of chakra, behind him. He knew that he would stand out in the villagers' memories that way, yet he didn't think that any of the Leaf nin trailing him would venture this far out for the villagers to tell them about him anyways.

As he exited the village, he started to contemplate what he could do to make up for the lack of satisfactory shackles. In the back of his mind, he was mulling over whether or not the brat was ready for training against poisons; his new body needed to be immune against different types of poisons, after all.

-oOo-

The boy pushed some of his chakra into the wall. Almost immediately, the wall broke up into two, granting Kakashi access to a long, seemingly endless tunnel. He heard something else open, too. He wasn't too sure what it was, but he had a feeling it came from the end of the tunnel. He could tell that the passageway took him somewhere higher since he could only see rocks from here. With a gulp, Kakashi's feet started taking one step at a time. He wouldn't turn back now; he was almost out.

After he had gathered up the courage to get out of the room, he had found out that the door wasn't locked. He was surprised, at first. Nonetheless, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the lock was broken. He opened the door ever so slightly and peeked outside. There was no one there, he couldn't hear the sound of footfalls and, in fact, there was no sound at all. After a while of trying a few doors, he was finally convinced that Orochimaru really wasn't here. With hope springing up in his heart, he had finally found the exit. It didn't take him a great amount of time to figure out how to open the door; the answer somehow came to him quickly, as if it was something he had always known.

And now here he was, getting closer and closer to the light at the end of the long tunnel. With each step he took, he could feel his heart beat that little faster, his breaths come out that little more rapidly. He could see the light more clearly now. He walked towards it with renewed vigor, as if he were in a trance. How long had it been since he saw something so majestic and golden? Once he was a few steps away from getting out, he stopped. He poked his head out of the tunnel and examined the outside world closely. His stomach made weird flip-flops as he looked at the lush green outside, the too blue sky above him decorated with fluffy white clouds.

He looked back inside the tunnel, into the darkness of the rocky terrain in a final farewell. Not knowing the name of the feeling that came over him, he jumped into the open. He yelped in surprise when something closed behind him. He looked down at the place he had come out from and only the green ground greeted him. _The sound of this thing opening… that must have been what I heard._

Again, he looked around him. The feeling came again. He didn't remember ever feeling it before. He knew that it wasn't sadness, fear or hopelessness; the only three things he ever felt when he was captured. It was something different, a lot different from those three feelings. Almost like complete opposites.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air and filling his nostrils with the different scents surrounding him. He felt a bit odd, though. The bottom half of his face was tingling bizarrely, as if it wasn't used to being subjected to this fresh air, although the upper half had no such reaction.

He shook his head as if to clear it. Now was not the time for such thoughts. He had gotten out of the hideout, that was true, but he still wasn't out of danger yet. With a determined nod, the Hatake walked between the trees. An instinct deep within told him to try and mask his chakra; another gut feeling told him to cover his scent somehow. Masking both came to him quickly, as if he had an innate talent to do so, he hoped it was enough to slow down Orochimaru.

He refused to stop and watch his surroundings in fascination. He didn't have time for that now. Perhaps when he was finally out of this mess, he'd be able to come here another time. Maybe that blond man would take him. He couldn't find that man, however, when he didn't even know where he was. His primary objective now was to get as far away as possible from this hideout. Then, he would try his utmost best to stay out of his ex-captor's sight.

He felt weird again, like he had one day done such a thing, like he had tried to remain out of sight. _A game,_ his mind unhelpfully provided. Giving no further thought to the odd feeling, he started running as fast as his little legs could go.

-oOo-

Minato, Kushina and Jiraiya all met up at the village's gates when the time came. The trio didn't bother with greetings and instantly set out. After a while, they each made a clone of themselves, and Minato handed each of them one of his special kunai as their plan dictated. The clones, then, set off towards the front lines. The real trio waited, hidden in the trees around the path leading to Orochimaru's previous hideout. It was only natural for the assigned team to pass through here and gather any evidence they needed to track down Kakashi. The three had tried to find something but none of them was adept at tracking. They hoped that the tracking team could see something they didn't.

"Here they come," Jiraiya whispered needlessly. All three kept an even tighter hold on their chakra as the team of five, including the Inuzuka's dog, came into view. The trio had already agreed that only Kushina would follow them when they came. All three of them going after them was out of the question. Kushina was better than Jiraiya at stealth and that way, Minato could teleport to the clones if the need arose while not missing anything important. The Yellow Flash handed Kushina one of his special kunai as well.

"Kushina, watch out, I did a bit of research after we split up. The Jonin is a skilled sensor. Keep your chakra on a tight leash," With a nod, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero stalked the group of five, as silent as death. She would play her part right. The success of their unofficial mission depended on her, after all.

-oOo-

The dog sniffed a few times before letting out a growl.

"Everything alright, boy?" the Inuzuka asked as he stopped beside his dog. The canine let out a whimper.

"What's wrong?" the leader of the team questioned as he jumped down beside his subordinate.

"Irumaru says he smelt something weird, but he lost it now,"

"It might be nothing to worry about. Why? Because we're out in the open, he's going to smell things all the time. Perhaps we should get going," the Aburame stated coolly from behind his sunglasses. The Inuzuka vaguely wondered why his teammate wore them all the time, ever since they were kids, but then again, the entire clan always wore them. The Hyuga was forced to stop as well; it was obvious by the slightly annoyed look on his otherwise impassive face that he wasn't pleased.

"Let's get to the cave," the captain ordered as he started running again, the three hot on his heels. Their follower stuck to the trees and mentally kicked herself. That small error could have caused the entire mission to crumble. _Note to self,_ she thought, _the Inuzuka dog has an extremely strong nose._

They made it to the cave with no further stops. The Hyuga activated his Byakugan, the Aburame sent out his bugs, and the Inuzuka and his dog searched for any lingering scents. Meanwhile, the leader studied the cave as he waited for results. Kushina gulped inaudibly. Covering up her scent would take care of the dog's sniffles. But how was she supposed to fool the Byakugan and those wretched bugs?

She chose to find a hiding place, far enough to not be noticed by the Byakugan but close enough to be able to make out when the Hyuga deactivated it. She tried to mask her chakra even further as not to attract any unwanted attention. After some time, the Aburame called back his bugs and she could vaguely perceive the Hyuga's face return back to normal, with no bulging veins around his eyes. Her heart pounding, she approached the cave but stayed out of sight.

"Someone used chakra on the wall. I am almost a hundred percent certain that it belongs to Jiraiya-sama. There is some lingering chakra outside. The battle took place somewhere around that area," the Hyuga stated as he motioned outside.

"My bugs confirm that," the Aburame piped in.

"There are a lot of scents here," the Inuzuka reported at last, "All of them go in the same direction, over to where the battle occurred, except for one. Irumaru and I are convinced that it's Kakashi-kun's scent. It's obvious that Orochimaru tried to mask it, but he couldn't do it fully. We can't smell Orochimaru, but Kakashi-kun's scent… it's weak, but it's there,"

"Nice work, all of you," the leader said with a nod, "Lead the way, Inuzuka-san," Kushina shadowed the five shinobi as quietly as she could. She made sure to stick to shadows and keep away from the branches littering the ground. The team made a lot of stops. Apparently, the scent was getting weaker. When they decided to split into two teams, each lead by either the dog or the Inuzuka, Kushina walked back a distance. When she was sure that the team would not be able to feel the burst of chakra needed for Minato to teleport to his kunai, she stuck the kunai into the ground. Not too much later, Jiraiya and Minato appeared before her.

"The Inuzuka could smell Kakashi-kun's scent and they followed it here. It's getting weaker so they decided to split up," she reported, for once not adding 'dattebane' to the end of her sentences, as the three silently made their way to where the team was.

"Alright, Kushina, Minato, you follow the team with the Jonin, I'll follow the other team," Jiraiya said. The younger ninjas nodded and Jiraiya was handed a special kunai before they split up once more. It was decided that if either team were to find out anything, they would let the other team know either by activating the kunai or sending a toad.

With luck, they would be able to find Kakashi soon.

-oOo-

Kakashi's throat ached. When was the last time he drank anything? Far too long, if he were to say so himself. _Where's a river or something when you need one…_ As if in answer to his wish, he heard it. The unmistakable sound of water flowing. With a giddy feeling filling him, he made his way towards the sound.

Even the river looked magnificent in the sun. The water reflected the blue color of the sky perfectly, sparkling ominously like rare gems and emeralds. Fish jumped every now and then and his stomach groaned in hunger. His smile was huge as he prepared to set foot towards the river. However, then, he saw it; a cloaked figure by the side of the river. To be on the safe side, Kakashi shrunk back into the shadows. Who knew whether this person was a friend or foe?

A few exceedingly lengthy minutes later, he was glad he chose to stay hidden. The person in the cloak pushed back the hood from over his head to wash his pale face with water. Kakashi didn't have much of an appetite after that. Seeming to feel someone's eyes on him, Orochimaru scanned the area surrounding him. _Please, please, please… don't let him see me._ His snake-like eyes rested on the place Kakashi had tried to hide in.

The boy felt like rocks had taken residence in his stomach and his heart pumped faster and faster that he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. The birds around him chirped cheerily, unaware of his current dilemma, as his breaths came out more like pants.

 **Author's Notes:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would love to hear what you thought of it! Especially what you think of Kakashi escaping. I don't know if he should have felt even more hesitant considering his current memory loss, but I did try to convey his feelings; please tell me it worked!

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 7:**

 **juman1994:** I know right! That's one of the things I love about Kushina's personality actually!

 **KaiaRenkin:** Kakashi's escaped now, but he definitely needs saving, he doesn't even know where he's going! Don't worry Minato will get his time to shine!

 **Elaine Weasley:** I agree, Orochimaru really is a creep… but that makes it all the more enjoyable to toy with him XD I hope you did well on your finals!

 **Enthrll:** You're actually the only one who answered my question. Guess people aren't too interested in a sequel :P Thank you so much for your kind words!

 **Prescripto13:** You're right, he would have. He was a bit too hasty don't you think? He shouldn't have abandoned the other hideout for so long, now Kakashi's escaped the hideout. But will that be the case for much longer?

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge:** I personally think that this chapter contains the most hope out of all the others up until the end, don't you think so too? Thanks, I hope you enjoyed this one as well!

 **Again, thank you all! Writing this story wouldn't have been half as enjoyable as it is without all of you! Do you think we could reach 60 reviews? I hope so!**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:** Hello!First, let me start by apologizing for not updating in about two months! But things happened, life got busy… I really am sorry! I hope I didn't drive you away… Since it's been such a long time (really sorry), here's a quick summary of what took place up until now!

 **Summary:** Minato was furious with Kakashi for accepting to play 'Hide and Seek' with his sensei's former teammate, Orochimaru, and made him promise to stay away from the Sannin during his mission to the frontlines. Later, Orochimaru comes to Kakashi, suggesting that they play another game, which Jiraiya had helped set up. During the game, Kakashi summons Pakuun who tells Minato and Jiraiya that Orochimaru had kidnapped Kakashi. Minato and Jiraiya find Orochimaru's hideout, but are tricked by a fake dead Kakashi. Once they learn that the real Kakashi is still alive, they both, along with Kushina, ask the Sandaime to allow them to go after him again. However, due to the war, the Third refuses and sends them out to the frontlines instead. Going against Sandaime's will, the trio trails after the team sent out to retrieve Kakashi. Meanwhile, Orochimaru takes Kakashi to another hideout and leaves him there to replenish his supplies. While he is out, Kakashi decides to escape and finds a river, where he sees Orochimaru.

 **Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!

 **Chapter 9**

Orochimaru's narrowed eyes scanned his surroundings. He had the distinct feeling of being watched, and just a few moments ago, he thought he saw a flash of silver between those tall trees. His gut told him that something was wrong, dead wrong. Although being a shinobi had taught Orochimaru to be paranoid, sometimes needlessly, he was never one to question himself nor his intuition. He made a show of wiping his face with his sleeve then proceeded to put on his hood. The person who was watching him, and he was sure there was indeed someone out there, either had remarkable chakra control to the point that made him undetectable by even a Sannin of Orochimaru's caliber or had too little chakra to begin with. Right now, Orochimaru couldn't risk anything, couldn't make any mistakes. Any unknown witnesses with unknown goals would have to die. With that thought in mind, the Snake decided to take the easiest and most direct approach.

"Show yourselves now… or suffer the consequences," he said, his voice low but dripping with intimidation, "I'd hate to have to come look for you. I already know you're there. Save us both the trouble and show yourself… now," His snake-like eyes swept the area once again and he grinned maliciously, "If you come now, I promise your death will be painless. Continue to hide and I shall make sure you die by the slowest, most painful death I can think of. I'll give you to the count of three," He grinned wider when the unmistakable scent of fear reached his nostrils.

"One…" The small silver-haired boy pressed himself harder against the tree nearest to him. He tried to control his erratic breathing in vain. Realizing that if this continues, he would be found for sure, he covered the lower half of his face with both his hands; it would stifle the sound of his pants somewhat.

"Two…" He was running out of time! If he turns himself in, Orochimaru-sama will most probably punish him in the most horrible way possible before returning him to where he belonged, in that stuffy room away from the outside world. If he doesn't turn himself in, Orochimaru-sama will definitely be able to find him and even chase him if he tried to escape before once again taking him back to that faraway place where he belonged. _Used to belong,_ he corrected; he didn't want to go back there anymore, not after he had discovered the beauty that was the world outside, not after he had seen the blue sky for the first time in what he thought was forever, not after he had felt soft, green grass beneath his feet. _Not after he has finally become free._

"Three…" Kakashi took a step backwards, followed quickly by three others. He tried to be as silent as he could be, he could not and would not go back _there_ , not ever and certainly not now. He watched as Orochimaru-sama's eyes narrowed into angry, irritated slits, "You leave me no choice," His once tormentor said slowly, a sure sign of his growing frustration.

"I've given you a chance, but you have stupidly thrown it away," His mouth was twisted into an infuriated scowl. _There! Something moved, I'm sure of it!_

Kakashi's heart was beating too wildly, he could barely hear anything else. With his hands still covering half his face, he gradually backed away from the Snake. It didn't seem like Orochimaru-sama knew where he was exactly, which was a good sign, he decided. He was walking backwards and was looking straight at his would-be captor, he didn't even notice the innocent root protruding out of the ground until he toppled backwards with a soft thud.

-oOo-

Kushina was scrutinizing the team she was assigned to watch, following them every step of the way. For some reason, even the Inuzuka's enhanced smell couldn't pick up Kakashi's nor Orochimaru's scents. It didn't seem like they were making much progress but she was in no position to say as much. At least the team, which consisted of the Inuzuka and the Jonin, hasn't decided to give up the mission yet. All was going smoothly… up until her companion suddenly stopped. Biting back a frustrated sigh, she came to a halt next to him.

"Minato?" she whispered, "What's wrong? Are the clones being attacked?" The man's blond hair moved as he shook his head in the negative.

"I have a really bad feeling," he answered truthfully and Kushina had to fight the sudden urge to punch him.

"Can't you be a little more precise? What is it, dattebane?"

"I don't really know… but something is making me uneasy, like something terrible is about to happen…" Kakashi was missing; kidnapped by Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin, to be exact. They were following a team who obviously had no idea what to do next, and with each passing moment, his student's life was that much closer to its end. Minato wondered just how, exactly, are things going to become worse. His thoughts came to a halt when he heard a dog bark.

"What is it, boy?" the Inuzuka asked as he kneeled next to his dog. A few barks later, the Inuzuka's face twisted into a smile, "Really! That's awesome!" he praised before turning to the mission leader, "He says he may have found Kakashi-kun's scent! It's faint but he can follow it! Let's go!" Minato ignored the way Kushina looked at him. Maybe his gut was mistaken for once.

The Inuzuka and his dog led the way, setting a fast pace. They, now, had a scent to follow, a chance to finally find their charge. Things were looking up. However, as he hung back and summoned a toad to get his sensei, Minato couldn't shake the feeling that everything would be spiraling down to hell very fast and very soon.

For everyone's sakes, he hoped he was wrong, just this one time.

-oOo-

The Aburame had his bugs out, looking for the telltale signs of chakra presence in the area they were in. Nonetheless, one after the other, his bugs told him there was nothing, and they moved yet again to another area, a distance away. Jiraiya felt like pulling his hair out every time the bugs flew and returned with nothing he wanted to hear. When he heard a croak beside him, the Sage almost jumped out of skin. He glared down at the annoying creature, shook his head, and returned to watching the slow bugs as they searched the zone.

With a thoughtful look, he glanced back at the noise-making being. Once he got a good look at the toad, he had to refrain from dancing in joy. It was one of Minato's summons! Which meant that Minato's team had found something they could go on!

He silently followed the toad to where, hopefully, he would find something worthwhile. He hoped they would find Sakumo's son, if only to be able to face his late best friend when he joined him in the afterlife. Then, he'd be able to tell Sakumo that, yes, he had lost his little boy, and yes, he had unknowingly helped Orochimaru do it, but no, he didn't break his promise; he was able to get his son back to safety.

Wishful thinking always had bad repercussions, Jiraiya knew, mostly from experience. However, he couldn't stop those thoughts from spreading warmth through his body. They would find his best friend's son, he would apologize, and things would go back to the way they were. The little Hatake would avoid him for a while, but he'll come around… eventually.

For the first time since he helped Orochimaru (something he would never do ever again), Jiraiya's heart felt lighter, the weight forcing a burden upon it less heavy. Things were going to work out, he told himself. The nightmare was about to end (or so he convinced himself).

-oOo-

Orochimaru heard, more than saw, something fall. Its light weight barely made a sound, but his superior sense of hearing allowed him to decipher the soft noise. He was beside the source of noise in an instant; the faster he could take care of the pest, the faster he could go back to his hideout. With those thoughts coursing through his mind, it was safe to say that Orochimaru was surprised when he finally looked at his watcher. To be honest, surprised would be an understatement.

"I have to say, Kakashi-kun, I didn't expect to see you here," his silky voice reached the boy's ears, forcing his body to react and leap away. Kakashi's shaking body made it too hard for him to remain standing. Nonetheless, Kakashi, with his trembling legs, forced himself into a fighting stance, one he slipped into easily, he was almost too confused to hear what Orochimaru-sama said next.

"How did you get out, Kakashi-kun?" The Sannin questioned, trying and failing miserably to keep his rage and astonishment out of his voice. Kakashi did not answer, his body hasn't stopped shaking yet, Orochimaru noticed, "What are you doing out here, Kakashi-kun?" The boy didn't utter a word, his body's trembling was more or less under control, but he could still smell the fear wafting off of him in waves. Orochimaru didn't have to feign the irritation he felt. He couldn't keep his word, he couldn't kill his experiment. He has to return him back to the hideout without leaving too much evidence behind. In other words, he couldn't have the kid start a fuss.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? I'm ready to take you back, no punishment of any sort, if you agree to come willingly," he decided he would try this approach. Nonetheless, he vaguely noted that the shaking had stopped completely.

Determination held Kakashi steady. He said he would not go back _there_ , no matter what. If fighting Orochimaru-sama, no, if fighting _Orochimaru_ would guarantee that, then he would fight, and forever keep on fighting.

"I'm not going back," he said in a whisper. The tormented child inside of him too scared, too frightened, to allow him to speak, to _disobey_ Orochimaru's orders.

"Excuse me?" Orochimaru's fake politeness always made him angry.

"I'm never going back," he repeated higher this time, his voice dripping with defiance and confidence, emotions he knew he would never have showed, nor had the audacity to feel for that matter, when talking to his superior. He could feel the tormented child's influence seep away, to leave a personality he didn't even remember ever having. He saw all the warning signs, he saw how Orochimaru's eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, how his hands clenched and unclenched, how his face contorted to reveal his true nature.

Despite seeing them all, despite knowing that continuing would immerse him in dangerous territory fully, even the reappearance of the tormented child couldn't hold him back. Before Orochimaru even had the opportunity to react, Kakashi was on the run. His movements were quick, he thought, which was good since it would mean that he had a greater chance at actually pulling his escape off. He would exploit every advantage he had.

The sound of Orochimaru giving chase only gave him more vigor. His legs carried him more quickly. He felt a sense of déjà vu pass through him, like when he had first gotten out of the hideout, but stronger somehow. He decided he would contemplate this later, when he had the time, once he had lost Orochimaru, once he was officially free.

Focusing on the task at hand, he noted that Orochimaru wasn't that far away. Kakashi didn't know his body's limitations, but he knew one thing for sure: Orochimaru was older, his limitations were less restrictive. When it comes to endurance, Orochimaru's body would trample his own smaller, more fragile frame. He would have to think of a plan, anything to be able to see this through to the end.

Nothing came to mind. He didn't know how to play for time, he didn't know what to do. He was stupid; he should have accepted Orochimaru-sama's terms and went back with him when he had the chance. He shouldn't have tried to escape in the first place. Now, he would be captured once again. And this time, things would be much, much worse. Unknowingly, the power that had kept him going slowly began to leak away, making his movements slower than they were a second ago, giving Orochimaru the chance to close in on him until he was close enough to be able to touch him with his fingertips.

 _"Keep on running, Kakashi!"_ he heard someone shout in his head. The voice was very familiar, but he couldn't stick a name to it. One thing he did know was that it wasn't the blond man's voice, which was strange since he couldn't remember anyone else.

 _"He's almost got you. Keep moving!"_ Like the words were some sort of ancient magic spell, his legs obeyed, _"Don't just run in a straight line! He's faster than you are, it'll only take a bit of time for him to catch up!"_ He wondered whether hearing unknown voices was a sign of madness or not. Deciding it didn't matter at the moment, his body took to the trees. Somehow, his feet stuck to the branches, the ability felt so normal to him that he couldn't even feel amazed. Orochimaru didn't follow him up for some reason, which gave him another advantage. He leapt to the right, jumping from branch to branch with high speed.

 _"Slow him down with a jutsu, Kakashi,"_ the same voice came again. Well, if it was there to give him tips and advice to help him flee, then he wasn't complaining. Nonetheless, it would help if it could be a bit more specific. What was a jutsu, in any case? _"Horse, Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger,"_ His hands naturally fell into the signs. He felt something tug at his energy, soon followed by peculiar heat in his mouth, _"Turn around and let go!"_ Kakashi followed the instructions given to him. A small fire blew out of his mouth, the fireball wasn't that large, but it was big enough to make Orochimaru stop for a second to change his direction lest he be hit.

Kakashi wasn't given time to celebrate his accomplishment as the voice he had started to hear came back with another order, _"Find somewhere to hide and stay there,"_ The gears in Kakashi's head whirred to try and figure out where to hide, but every time he came up blank. He didn't know the terrain of the area he was in, he didn't even know where he was. The only place he knew was the hideout from which he was trying to escape.

Suddenly, it hit him. He knew exactly where he had to go.

-oOo-

Orochimaru couldn't go as fast as he wanted to. Any use of chakra on his part would be an indication of his presence there. Then, the Leaf Village would know that he had been there. However, if only the brat used his chakra, unintentionally it might seem, they would think that he had escaped, and perhaps the teams looking for him would look for Kakashi instead, driving them further away from him. By that time, he would have returned the kid back to the hideout.

Nevertheless, it seemed that the little Hatake didn't want to go back, which led him to believe that he was _never going back_ , as he put it. For a second, it looked like he had realized his own naivety and slowed down. Just when Orochimaru had gotten close enough to imprison him yet again, the kid quickened his pace suddenly, like something had given him a speed boost. To make matters worse, he had used a minor fire jutsu that would surely capture their trailers' interest.

After he had gotten out of harm's way, he realized that the brat was nowhere in sight. He had lost him. He bit back an infuriated growl. Keeping a tight leash on his chakra, he started his search. He couldn't go back to the hideout to find him. Orochimaru was positive that the team searching for them would find him if he didn't. Once Kakashi was returned to the Hidden Leaf, Orochimaru knew he wouldn't be able to get him again.

After that, Kakashi would tell the Hidden Leaf where his hideout was; he wouldn't be able to go to it again. He'd be on the run, vulnerable.

It would only be a matter of time, then, until they caught up with him.

-oOo-

The Aburame's bugs buzzed unintelligibly. Someone has used chakra in an area nearby, they reported. The Hyuga and the Aburame were led to the zone where the chakra was used. The Hyuga activated his Byakugan.

"There are signs of someone using a jutsu here," The Hyuga said, his eyes still scanning the place, "It's nothing too big… a fire jutsu judging by the slight scorch there," he stated while pointing at a black spot in the, otherwise, green area.

"I believe that someone was trying to lose a tracker. Why? It is obvious that the fire jutsu was used to give him a chance at escape. If he wanted to fight, he wouldn't bother with running in the first place," The Hyuga hummed in the affirmative, "My bugs can detect faint chakra going in that direction," The Aburame informed as he nodded to the right, "Shall we follow?" With a nod, the Hyuga and the Aburame set off.

-oOo-

"Irumaru says the scent is getting stronger," the Inuzuka said, "He says he could say for sure that it's Kakashi-kun's! We're on the right track!" They had gotten to a river, its flowing water causing strong noise to be emitted as water hit rock. On the riverbank, a wagon, to which they paid no heed, stood.

"Can he tell us which way to go, Inuzuka-san?" the man and beast conversed for a while, Minato felt like each second passed like a million years.

"It seems that Kakashi-kun was trying to mask his scent," the Inuzuka finally said, "He'll tell us where he thinks he's going, but he can't say for sure,"

"That should be enough for now," the Jonin replied with a sigh as he motioned for the dog to lead them. Jiraiya gestured for his two partners in crime to linger.

"Why would Kakashi be hiding his scent? Do you think he was able to escape?" he asked quickly and directly.

"From Orochimaru? It seems far-fetched, dattebane," Kushina remarked with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What if he had? That would make things easier, right?" Minato questioned hopefully, "Right?" he repeated when the other two didn't answer him.

"Well… if he's trying to escape, he isn't going to be just sitting around somewhere…" his teacher answered, "But we'll find him, I'm sure of it!" With an encouraging grin, Jiraiya nodded and Kushina returned his grin with a big, bright smile of hers. Soon, Minato joined in, his smile a bit too forced to be real. They might actually find Kakashi now. He should be happy, less glum. However, there was one problem with this whole ordeal.

He still couldn't shake the bad feeling away.

-oOo-

Studying the clearing he had first seen of the outside world, Kakashi had to congratulate himself for his genius. Orochimaru was bound to search high and low for him, but he won't ever come to this place until he's found him somewhere out there. When the fireball had mysteriously formed and was shot out towards Orochimaru, Kakashi was in a moment of loss and confusion. He had no idea what he should do next, and the familiar voice didn't give him any detailed orders as to _where_ he must hide.

In a spike of brilliance, the answer had come to him. Orochimaru was definitely not coming here for a while. What business would he have in his hideout with no experiment to test on? Thus, Kakashi had come here. He didn't dare go back into the hideout lest he got trapped inside, so he settled for hiding in some bushes nearby. This, at least, would buy him some time to think for a bit.

Just why was he feeling that this had all happened to him once before? What provoked him to think that he had done all of this before, yet he was positive he hadn't? What was with the voice that he knew should mean so much to him, yet didn't? Why did it seem like he knew the owner of the voice, but he didn't? Had he not been with Orochimaru his entire life? If not, then where _had_ he been? Was he with the blond man? Why wasn't he there anymore? Was he _abandoned_ by the blond man? Did the blond man even exist? Or was he just someone he had invented to be able to hold onto reality?

Too many questions left unanswered. Too many new doubts arose. Kakashi had no answers nor did he have any solutions. The questions kept coming, the doubts growing and growing. Was he missing something? Nothing was making sense. What was worse… he had no idea how to make sense of anything.

-oOo-

Orochimaru had spent the last hours looking for the brat that had gotten away. He went back to the village, found nothing. The child couldn't have gone far. He couldn't find him though. As he walked back to the river, deciding to take the wagon he had left by the river back to the hideout, he noticed them: a group of Leaf shinobi. He watched them from the shadows, he heard them say something about Kakashi-kun then point in the general direction of his new hideout.

That was when it dawned on him. He wondered why he didn't think about it before. Kakashi-kun had gone back to the hideout in an effort to hide from him. He trailed after the two men and the dog, slowly, silently. He decided he would get rid of them once they reached the hideout.

-oOo-

"One of the clones activated the kunai," Minato whispered, "I'll be back in a few," With that said, he ran back a few meters and teleported away. He got to the clones' location in a flash. They were being attacked by a group of ten Rock ninja, all of Chunin level. The first two fell down with a kunai to the chest amidst the confusion. He sent out eight others, but they didn't hit their respective targets.

The eight Chunin jumped out of harm's way, all landing in a different direction. One of the enemy shinobi blindly attacked him and was quickly disposed of by means of three well-aimed kunai. The last seven were more focused, they obviously recognized him. They shared a look, as if considering their options. It took a moment for them to get into some sort of formation, completely surrounding him before they attacked.

Even as he dodged a strong Rock jutsu from one of his enemy's and a kunai targeting his heart from another, he couldn't shake the bad feeling away. He knew that the cause of this feeling wasn't the battle currently taking place around him, somehow. What he didn't know was what was causing him to feel that way.

Needless to say, Minato did not like not knowing things. Especially when it affected the lives of people he loved.

 **Author's Notes:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I tried my best, but it was really hard to write… I still don't like how it turned out, but I really hope that you found it enjoyable. Thank for sticking with me!

 **A Reply to the Reviews on Chapter 8:**

 **KaiaRenkin:** I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter! I would love to hear what you thought of this one!

 **Elaine Weasley:** Wow, you're amazing! Keep up the great work! I wonder what the Third would do when he finds out, don't you? Hopefully, the next update won't take as long.

 **Prescripto13:** They were really fun to write. I had to actually look outside and reflect on everything. The world is truly fascinating, if only people would take the time and actually _look_ , y'know! Did you like this chapter?

 **juman1994:** Things are looking up aren't they? He could still be caught… but I don't know if I'm that evil :P Thanks! I'm glad it turned out okay!

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge:** If only he was able to see that root, Orochimaru wouldn't have seen him, would he? Too bad he did, it made things a lot more complicated ;) I wonder if Orochimaru'll still catch him in the end…

 **RockingTheGraveyard:** I'm really glad you decided to give the story a second chance! I know I'm a lazy writer :S What do you think will happen next? Incidentally, the part you liked most was the hardest part to write XD That's why hearing that you loved it made every minute I spent on it worthwhile, thank you!

 **I hope everyone liked this chapter! What do you think Minato's bad feeling is all about?**

 **One more thing… the next chapter will be the last chapter of the story! So thank you all for sticking with me to the very end!**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the long wait everyone! But here it is! The last chapter! I hope everyone likes it! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!

 **Chapter 10 ~ Final Chapter**

Kakashi had given up on trying to make sense of anything long ago. He didn't dare move from his designated hiding place despite knowing that Orochimaru wouldn't come. He wondered how long he would have to stay here. Was he forever forced to live in fear? Was he supposed to stay here till the end of time? Never even getting the chance to live life the way he deserved (or at least thought he deserved)?

He hoped that blond man he remembers would come for him and save him from this life. He didn't want to go back. But the problem was that he didn't even know for certain that anyone was coming for him. He didn't want to take any chances, yet here he was, sitting and waiting for someone to rescue him. What if he was wrong and Orochimaru came back to the hideout?

He shook his head as if to clear it. Nothing would come out of thinking like that, so he decided he would hold on to faith, he would hold on to hope, the hope that guaranteed the appearance of a savior.

-oOo-

Minato's Rasengan punctured his last enemy, the bodies of the others littered around him. He didn't waste any time before he returned to his team's position. He decided he would keep his gut feeling to himself and tuck it away for now. He needed his full attention, especially now when they might even have a lead. He nodded at the two to signal that it was all clear.

"The other two came right after our guys got here. Seems they were able to track Kakashi's scent or chakra to here as well," Jiraiya stated, his voice a tad bit higher than a whisper.

"He might be here somewhere, right, dattebane? Both teams can't be wrong," Kushina said more to herself than anyone else.

"I hope so,"

On the other side of the clearing, another person was crouching behind a tree. He thought it was time to put an end to this; it was time to make his grand appearance. Just when he was about to attack, he noticed them. At first, he thought it was nothing. However, upon further scrutiny, he knew he was in trouble. He could take on the Jonin with his Chunin lackeys with no problems, he wasn't known as a Legendary Sannin for naught after all. Nevertheless, the presence of the three pesky legends would form a hurdle in his way.

Orochimaru wasn't stupid as much as he wasn't reckless. He knew he couldn't take them all on his own. As he let his eyes wander as he thought of a plan, he could make out a small form out of the corner of his eye. Hiding beneath some bushes was none other than his missing experiment. His lips slowly curled into a twisted grin as a plan soon formed in his mind.

-oOo-

Kakashi was on full alert when three figures suddenly landed in the clearing. Two others soon followed and Kakashi was at a loss. Should he approach them? What if they were working with Orochimaru? All of them, except the dog, were wearing a weird leaf-like symbol on a metal plate placed snugly on their foreheads. He wondered what the symbol stood for.

With a defeated, well-contained sigh, he crouched lower as he tried to remain hidden. As long as he didn't know whether they were friends or foes, he wouldn't approach them. They were just talking amongst themselves now, and Kakashi's lids were on the verge of drifting closed.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Explosive kunais were flung from four different locations between the trees and landed squarely between the four people and one beast of a dog. In response, each person went in one of the four directions, one of people followed by the dog. Kakashi could make out the sound of metal clashing with metal. He could hear the screams and muffled yelps of pain. His heart beat faster and he had the urge to help. However, he knew he couldn't move now. He had a feeling this was Orochimaru's doing. He couldn't fight him, he just wasn't strong enough.

With a nod to himself, he decided it would be safer if he changed his hiding place. He couldn't just stay here while knowing that Orochimaru was around. His plan had failed, but he could still escape. He had a numb feeling as he got out from between the bushes and backed away to take cover in the trees. He didn't get far before he felt his body propel forwards and his vision turned black.

-oOo-

Jiriaya, Minato and Kushina were surprised when four kunais appeared out of nowhere and tricked the inexperienced ninja into going after enemies that the three more experienced shinobi knew were fakes.

With their trained, keen eyes, they caught movement, just below them and to the right. Mindful of it being another hoax, only Kushina went in that direction. Minato and Jiraiya waited for a few moments and were soon rewarded as a sprinting Orochimaru rushed past with a body slung over his shoulder. Minato made to go after him, but a hand on his shoulder held him back.

"I have a feeling that's not the real one either," Jiraiya remarked seriously, "I'll go after that one just in case, but you stay here," Not waiting for an answer, the white-haired Sannin jumped away after his ex-friend and teammate. Minato stayed where he was, hidden behind the tree. He was feeling restless as much as he felt useless. Orochimaru could have gotten away with his student already while he was standing here doing absolutely nothing.

Just when he was about to follow his teacher or Kushina, he saw a snake slither into the center of the clearing. He watched it carefully as it seemed to survey the area surrounding it. He made sure he was well concealed and his chakra was tightly masked as the snake thoroughly examined the area around it for the third time. Seemingly satisfied, the snake vanished in a puff of smoke.

Minato held his breath in anticipation. This might be it. A shadow appeared, soon followed by a pale man. The ninja set down an unconscious form on the ground as he went through a handful of hand seals.

This was his chance, and he would not waste it.

-oOo-

Jiraiya's target was _fast_. He had already led him far away from the area he left Minato in. He wondered if this really was Orochimaru. He hoped it was. He was itching to teach that traitorous snake a lesson with his own two hands. How dare he use him like that?! And to hurt Sakumo's son no less?! Rage at his own inadequacy and his ex-friend's actions welled up inside him as it had for weeks, giving his speed a hefty boost. He closed in on the black-haired nin and prepared an attack. He wasn't surprised when Orochimaru dodged the impending fireball. However, the attack fulfilled its job as it made the faster foe lose some of his momentum.

 _Almost got him,_ he thought as he sped up.

-oOo-

Kushina raced after her target. He kept turning to unleash one attack or the other, but Kushina didn't care. She was getting him no matter what. She wished that this was the genuine Orochimaru. She wanted to get her hands on him so that when she was through, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to even think about pulling up something like this again.

-oOo-

Orochimaru was very glad indeed. His plan had worked out perfectly and the pesky Leaf ninja were out of his way. For the time being, he had to stay in this hideout, until things cooled down a bit. He set the boy to be able to perform the necessary hand seals to open the hideout.

He knew things went horribly wrong when a kick forced him to the ground. Experience and instinct forced Orochimaru back to his feet and he was blocking a punch in the next second. He saw a flash of yellow and inwardly cursed. His plan hadn't been foolproof after all. He thought that last clone, complete with a copy of the Hatake brat, would be enough to fool the remaining two enemies so he didn't bother with making another clone.

He was now paying the price. He caught the other's foot with both his hands and forced him to lose his balance. The Yellow Flash laid his weight on his arms and kicked his opponent with his free foot. He missed his goal by a few inches as Orochimaru let go of his foot to back away instead.

"Well, well," Orochimaru chuckled, "If it isn't dear Minato-sensei," The two were positioned directly opposite each other, Kakashi almost in the middle. Minato knew he couldn't try any strong area-damaging jutsus; he would undoubtedly hurt Kakashi as well. His quick mind was able to tell him that Rasengan would work, but he would either have to get close enough with the Rasengan already active, or he would have to mark Orochimaru to hit him with one after that. However, getting close enough to Orochimaru would be impossible. The only reason he had gotten close to Orochimaru before was because he didn't see him coming. Now, though, he had lost the element of surprise. He cursed himself; he should have marked him when he had had the chance. So now what?

-oOo-

Kushina had switched from defensive to offensive a while ago. Nevertheless, she still couldn't hit her adversary with one of her kunais yet. She sent volley after volley of kunais to no avail. It was like Orochimaru had eyes in the back of his head to help him evade all her attacks. She shuddered at the thought and mental image that came with it.

In a moment of clarity, an idea dawned on her. Instead of aiming for Orochimaru, she aimed for the branch he was going to land on next. With a strong shot, the kunais whirled past Orochimaru and lodged themselves on the branch, the force and strength forced on them giving them enough power to make the branch uneven. Once the raven-haired shinobi set foot on it, the sound of breaking wood traveled into Kushina's ears and she bit back a joyful laugh.

She aimed a torrent of shuriken at her opponent. She pouted when her weapons struck the pale man and he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. She wondered whether the other two were doing okay when she suddenly remembered something important. Each of the members of the team that was originally sent after Kakashi was fighting one of the Legendary Three. And even though they were probably fighting clones, she knew they wouldn't even be able to scratch the clone enough to dispel it. She hoped they weren't dead and prayed that they could hang on until she could get there.

-oOo-

Jiraiya finally caught on with his foe. Orochimaru stopped to face the white-haired Toad Sage. Jiraiya got into his fighting stance as Orochimaru carefully set the body down before sliding into his own. The Toad Sannin was the first to make a move as he attacked the Snake head on. Foreseeing the attack, Orochimaru leapt out of harm's way as Jiraiya's rage-powered arm clamped down where his ex-teammate used to be.

"Why did you do it, Orochimaru?" he howled as he once again attacked.

"Hmm… I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Jiraiya-kun. Perhaps you'd like to be more precise?" The fake politeness and egotistical tone had always set Jiraiya on edge. However, now, it made him downright _furious_.

"Don't you dare play dumb! You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Losing some of his focus, Jiraiya repeated the question, "Why, Orochimaru? Why did you do this to Kakashi? Why did you do this to me? Why did you betray the village? The village you were fighting so hard to protect!" each question was followed by a punch that missed, he had always been slower than Orochimaru, never able to land a solid hit. The Snake Sannin kept silent provoking Jiraiya's wrath to burn even brighter. His anger caused his punches and kicks to become stronger, quicker.

He kept at it, sending punch after punch, kick after kick, not allowing the hits that couldn't touch his opponent dampen his vigorous attempts.

He wondered if anyone saw this coming. Orochimaru the genius suddenly turning against the village and kidnapping the late White Fang's only child with only Jiraiya, dead last Jiraiya, there to stop him from fulfilling his plans.

A puff of smoke propelled him out of his thoughts. He stood there, with a dumbfounded expression on his face, before slowly, a grin spread on his face. He had finally done it. He had landed a hit. And despite it being childish and idiotic and not a bit trivial, it still felt good. He shook his head, he still needed to go back and help Minato. Perhaps after that, he would stop ignoring Sakumo's son ( _Kakashi_ , he reminded himself) and start atoning for his mistake.

-oOo-

Orochimaru was the first to attack this time. Minato dodged the punch aimed at his jaw, his speed giving him a distinct advantage. He caught Orochimaru's wrist in mid-air and flipped him over his back. He was quick to prepare a Rasengan, but the Snake slithered out of his signature jutsu's way at the last second. Snakes shot out of Orochimaru's arms and Minato took out a kunai in each hand to block them. He cut through them, and purplish blood trickled down to the ground.

Orochimaru withdrew his dead snakes with a hiss. He hadn't believed the rumors concerning the Yellow Flash, but now he could see that they weren't completely misled. His brain worked frantically for a solution. He noticed that he was now standing between the Namikaze and the brat. With the poorly repressed concern shining in the teacher's eyes, he had noticed that as well. Perhaps this could still work; he didn't need to defeat the Yellow Flash after all. What he needed to do, though, was to get the brat and then get out of here.

"Do you know the great thing about snakes, Minato-sensei?" Minato hated the nickname, Orochimaru had no right to scathingly call him that, "Each one of them has not a small amount of poison," He smirked as he sent out a few of his bigger snakes to distract the Namikaze before he dashed towards the Hatake.

Minato worriedly glanced at his student's prone body before focusing on the more immediate problem. The snakes were quickly approaching him, and he had no high hopes of emerging from this unscathed, especially when he was more troubled by Orochimaru, who was now only a small distance away from Kakashi. Was this going to be an endless cycle? Was he always going to get _this_ close to returning his student only to lose him to Orochimaru _again_? Minato couldn't even fathom the idea. He had to get there, fast, no matter what it takes. He tried to veer right to escape the snakes, but they just mirrored his movements and lunged to attack. He couldn't go around them, he soon learned, as one of the venomous beings came close to injecting its poison into him. Thus, he jumped over the first snake, rolled out of the way when the second made to bite him. The third one was bigger than the other two, and he was now surrounded by all three. If he could just jump over the third, he might be able to run and catch up with Orochimaru before he got to Kakashi.

He jumped over the third successfully and inwardly congratulated himself. He knew he failed, however, when he felt a searing pain shoot from his ankle. He looked back and saw that one of the serpents had sunk its teeth into his flesh. He tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't budge. Soon, the other two had wrapped around his torso, holding him down. _No,_ he thought, _I can't just lay down… Kakashi still needs me… Is this really it? Is this the end?_ His vision faded in and out. His lids felt heavy. The snakes squeezed tighter, he could barely breathe right and his ribs felt like they were cracking under the pressure.

"Rasengan!" he heard before he could hold on to reality no more.

Orochimaru was forced away from his test subject when the swirling ball of blue collided with him. He looked up to find none other than Jiraiya glaring at him. Orochimaru snorted uncaringly. He could take Jiraiya on. Just then, a flash of red appeared beside his fellow Sannin, signaling the arrival of Uzumaki Kushina, followed by the other Konoha team, injured and bleeding in some places but otherwise fine.

The Snake weighed his options carefully. If he stayed, he would be defeated then forever imprisoned. However, if he retreated, he might still have a chance at getting back the Hatake brat and would be able to emerge from this to return another day with a team of his own.

He bared his teeth before he fled. This wasn't the end. He would make sure that what belonged to him would be returned.

-oOo-

Minato slowly woke up. The soft mattress below him signaled that he was back in Konoha, in the hospital most probably. He opened his eyes carefully. He heard movement beside him and he turned his throbbing head slowly to find none other than Kushina beside him.

"Kushina? What happened?" he asked, his voice sounded muffled and dry, like he had cotton up his nose.

"You were poisoned by Orochimaru's snakes, dattebane, but the medics were able to find an antidote in time," she said in a low tone to which Minato was thankful.

"Where's Kakashi?" he questioned further.

"He's in the next room," she answered whilst biting her bottom lip.

"And Orochimaru?" She shook her head.

"He got away," she said, "But we'll get him later," Minato nodded, an action he immediately regretted as his head started swimming, "Minato…" she sounded hesitant, but Minato knew that whatever it was, it seemed important.

"What is it? Is it the Hokage?" he asked gently. Kushina shook her head in the negative.

"Something's wrong… do you feel well enough to come with me?" Minato knew he didn't, but whatever was bothering Kushina sure sounded horrible. Minato slowly got up, ignoring the dull ache of his chest and the growling of his hungry stomach. The redhead helped him up and led him outside the room. She supported him as she opened the door to another room.

A small body, the size of a child, was lying in the bed. On the chair beside the bed, he could see Jiraiya frowning. When they entered the room, Jiraiya slowly looked up at them, his face instantly gaining a new light. The older ninja got up and dragged Minato towards the boy, despite Minato protesting at the rough handling.

"What about him, Kakashi-kun?" Jiraiya asked as he shook Minato like a ragdoll, completely ignoring his complaints. Kakashi's face, still uncovered, twisted into a mask of concentration. After a while, the six-year-old shook his head, his face turning worried, "Well, okay. That's fine," Jiraiya said more to reassure himself than the kid. What was going on? Minato wondered. Just as he was about to ask, a nurse came in.

"Namikaze-san! What are you doing out of bed?! Come on, I'll take you back to your room," the nurse said as she ushered him back to his room, "Kakashi-kun needs his rest as well, especially due to his state, so it'll be great if you could leave him be for now," she hissed loud enough for Jiraiya, Kushina and Minato to hear. The adults exited the room consecutively and went into Minato's room after bidding Kakashi farewell.

"Sensei, Kushina, what's going on? What was that nurse talking about? And what were you asking Kakashi about anyways?" he asked. The two shared a look as if asking the other to talk before Jiraiya finally gave up and sighed.

"I was asking him if he recognized you," Jiraiya said, "I had previously asked if he recognized me or Kushina. I even brought pictures of Sakumo… he doesn't know any of us, Minato," The teacher felt his world turn upside down and he suddenly lost his appetite.

"He doesn't remember anything?" Kushina shook her head. Minato couldn't believe it. Memories of loved ones, both dead and living, hopes and dreams and lessons, everything that made Kakashi _Kakashi_ was just… gone.

"What do we do now?" Not for the first time, none of them had an answer.

 **Author's Notes:** And that's it! Story complete! There might be a sequel coming, but that all depends on you, dear readers! If you would like me to write a sequel, say so in a review or pm! Thank you for sticking with me till the very end! And I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 9:**

 **Elaine Weasley:** I'm glad you don't mind that too much XD I hope you liked this chapter and thank you for always reviewing and even being the first to review more often than not! Would you like to read a sequel to this story?

 **Prescripto13:** I believe Orochimaru's experimenting really was. Who wouldn't be roughed up after that anyways XD Did you enjoy reading this story? Or was it a waste of time? Would you consider reading a sequel?

 **KaiaRenkin:** This isn't a perfect ending :P It leaves too many possibilities. Would you read a sequel if I got around to writing one?

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge:** Did you like the chapter? Don't worry, Kakashi's my favorite character, I wouldn't kill him just like that :P If I wrote a sequel, would you read it?

 **juman1994:** The voice is male. This is the last chapter, so Minato found Kakashi after all :D However, Orochimaru might still come back. What do you think would happen after this? And would you read a sequel? Or should this remain the ending?

 **IWantColoredRain:** Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Would you take the time to read a sequel as well, or should the story stop here?

 **Again, thank you all, readers for sticking with me to the very end. If a sequel does get written, I'll be sure to put a notice containing the story's title and plot. Hope you liked this story! I would love to know what you thought of it, so please review! Thanks! See ya!**


	11. Epilogue

**Author's Notes:** I am so blown away right now! Thank you everyone! Thank you very much for all your support! You have no idea how thrilled I was to see so many of you looking forward to the sequel! And yes, there will be a sequel :D This is only an epilogue that has been published to let you know of that, as I promised I would inform you! I hope you haven't lost interest in the story as it's been a long time. And here's a quick recollection of past events:

 **Summary:** Minato was furious with Kakashi for accepting to play 'Hide and Seek' with his sensei's former teammate, Orochimaru, and made him promise to stay away from the Sannin during his mission to the frontlines. Later, Orochimaru came to Kakashi, suggesting that they play another game, which Jiraiya had helped set up. During the game, Kakashi summoned Pakuun who told Minato and Jiraiya that Orochimaru had kidnapped Kakashi. Minato and Jiraiya found Orochimaru's hideout, but were tricked by a fake dead Kakashi. Once they learned that the real Kakashi was still alive, they both, along with Kushina, asked the Sandaime to allow them to go after him again. However, due to the war, the Third refused and sent them out to the frontlines instead. Going against Sandaime's will, the trio trailed after the team sent out to retrieve Kakashi. Meanwhile, Orochimaru took Kakashi to another hideout and left him there to replenish his supplies. While he was out, Kakashi decided to escape and found a river, where he saw Orochimaru, who didn't catch him then. Orochimaru escaped from Jiraiya, Minato and Kushina and vowed that this wasn't the end. Minato woke up at the hospital and found out that Kakashi no longer remembered anything.

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!

 **Epilogue**

The medic in charge of his student spoke words that went over Minato's head. He didn't care for the spoken words, he only cared for his student. And whether Minato wanted to admit it or not, his worry was as clear as sunlight on a hot summer's day.

Six years' worth of memories, six years' worth of dreams, six years' worth of tears and laughs and everything in between were just _gone_.

Even as he sat on his hospital bed with his teacher and his lover each on a side, Minato couldn't quite fathom the idea. What was he supposed to do now? What was Kakashi supposed to do now? Try to remember? Act like nothing was wrong and the lost memories were not as important as everyone liked to believe? Give up?

As much as Minato hated to admit it, giving up was starting to sound like the more sensible solution. He felt drained, emotionally, physically, psychologically. He was sure Kakashi felt the same, and maybe even more so. It was him who had a blank slate for a memory, him who had looked upon all of them with confusion and something akin to mistrust that made Minato's blood boil with a sliver of anger directed at none other than Orochimaru, only to turn cold and freeze in his body as the disappointment, directed at himself and only himself, finally settled in.

"This is a complication, dattebane," Kushina said when the silence stretched for too long. Even her usual liveliness was not quite the same. She throbbed with nervousness and her energy made her knee bounce continuously. _Complication? That's the understatement of the year._ Minato thought wryly but didn't make his thoughts known.

"We've reached a dead end," Minato commented and was surprised at his own defeated, broken voice, even when he felt just as beaten as he sounded. How was he supposed to look at Kakashi again? He couldn't, and he knew it. He could never meet his eyes, never again, not when he failed him so spectacularly and at such a crucial point in time.

Jiraiya crossed his arms in a way Minato had come to associate with deep thought. Minato watched his teacher's gaze flicker from defeat to understanding then to guilt. He wasn't entirely sure why his teacher would feel such remorse that his eyes were downcast and he wasn't looking at anyone in the eye, but he could guess. Perhaps it was the fact that their current situation was widely the Toad Sage's fault. But Minato no longer wanted to lay around the blame. Maybe it was the fact that Sakumo was Jiraiya's friend, and perhaps even his best friend, and now, his son was in a worse condition than ever.

Minato vaguely wondered what Sakumo would have done. Before the mission that was his last, Sakumo was the epitome of pride and clear-headedness. Minato, even though he had never said it, looked up to the White Fang, the same way he looked up to his own teacher.

He knew, somewhere deep down, that wherever Sakumo was right now, he'd be cursing at them, or maybe he'd be in the same condition Jiraiya was in, or maybe he was worse off, or maybe he didn't know anything yet, being too wrapped up in whatever world dead people found themselves in.

Kushina made a sound of frustration at the back of her throat. It didn't sound like a growl, but it was close. Minato's blue eyes flickered to her for a second before staying glued to the determination and fire he saw reflected in those deep blue eyes. Kushina's spirit had always been similar to a firework, except her will never vanished from the clear night sky. He could tell by the stubborn set of her jaw and the slight narrowing of her eyes that her will was nowhere near being broken like his. She hung onto any available hope in her eyes and latched onto it as if it were a lifeline.

And maybe, in some twisted sense of the word, it was for a certain little boy who had nothing but confusion and people that used to mean something (and Minato hoped that were true) but were now unrecognizable.

"If you're done with your self-pity, and worse, your self-doubt, then you can join me where we can actually be useful, dattebane!" The words tumbled out of Kushina's mouth like a cold cascade drizzling down Minato's back, and the sting made his skin crawl and his heart clench tightly. Kushina stormed out of the room, her footsteps were deliberately heavy to show her disapproval of both of their states. She slammed the door shut on her way out, and Minato felt as if she had dealt him a physical blow.

The words Kushina had said rang true, and neither man dared to break the silence. Their eyes met more than once, but each was lacking something vital to do what Kushina had done. It was easy for Kushina to say what she had and act on it. She didn't leave Kakashi alone, even while knowing the boy was only six and could in no way take care of himself, no matter what he believed (Minato forgot who _he_ referred to somewhere along the line). She didn't purposefully help Orochimaru in setting up a game to play with a six-year-old, even while knowing the teammate was changing, steadily so (Jiraiya needed to be reminded that change was never always good).

A sort of understanding passed between student and teacher.

The silence stretched, and neither said a word.

 **Author's Notes:** Here's some information about the awaited sequel! It's title is 'Up to the Challenge'. The first chapter will be published next week, so I hope you look forward to that! It would be awesome if you guys try to guess why the final continuation of 'Hide and Seek' is called 'Up to the Challenge'. It's remarkably easy, but I want to see if anyone can guess the specifics of the title. Are you up to the challenge?

 **A Response to the Reviews on Chapter 10:**

 **KaiaRenkin:** I'm glad that so many people are interested in reading a sequel! Are you still interested? XD I know it's been a long time…

 **Eikos Kyris:** Thanks! I love it that you like my writing style :D Hope you're still looking forward to a sequel!

 **Sherlock's Pipe and Hat:** Will he ever? :S We're just going to have to wait and see! Thanks for sticking with me throughout the story ;)

 **Enthrll:** I hope you're looking forward to the update next week :D

 **Yup:** The first chapter of the sequel will be published next Saturday! :D

 **JigokuShoujosRevenge:** Haha! I hope you haven't lost interest in the story! I'm definitely continuing it, so I hope you look forward to that ;)

 **Akiko:** I'm glad you like the story! Thanks for the review. I hope you enjoyed the epilogue and are still looking forward to the sequel!

 **IWantColoredRain:** Thank you! :D Writing is tough, but I like the story, so I actually have fun while writing!

 **Until next time on 'Up to the Challenge'!**


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